Survive
by ifyouweretherebeware
Summary: Andromeda (Andy) has the skill to survive, but does she possess the willpower? With her hunting-expert-shop-owner parents stuck in NZ, can she deal with the planet crumbling around her alone? She was living because she could survive, staying alive on instinct, but when she runs in to a hostile hunter on the road, she discovers a greater reason to live. Slow burning Daryl/OC. M
1. Prologue - SURVIVE

SURVIVAL.

 **PROLOGUE**

Survive. That's all there is left to do. Keep moving, keep hunting, keep killing. Survive.

The human instinct. A strange thing. One moment people are cooking family dinners, bickering over gameplay over an Xbox online party, deciding what to wear for that date. Now, they kill with an urgency. Kill or be killed, move or be found, trust and be tricked.

Earth has changed, the dead purge the living. Some called it the rapture, some the end of the world, others simply tried to pretend that the world around them wasn't falling to pieces by locking the door, closing the curtains and praying silently to a being equally as silent. That never ended well.

No internet, no TV, no games consoles, no anything. The planet had fallen, death had a thirst never quenched and the living were paying for their laziness, paying for their over reliant addiction to technology and material possessions.

Everything, different. A world thrown into an unexplainable chaos that threatens to wipe out the human race. And to live, you needed to evolve backwards, back to basics, human instinct.

To live, you needed to survive.

 _A very short prologue to begin this story! Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this story. My intentions for this are a slow burning Daryl Dixon / OC fanfic. I will be following the TV show, comic book, and adding my own changes. The story will begin where season/volume one begins, and will follow in the chronological order of the comics/episodes. I really want to get a long, long, long story going here, so I really hope I can get some readers on board to help me with this journey!_

 _Ratings, reviews and follows are graciously appreciated. Enjoy. x_


	2. Chapter 1 - BITE ME

The leaves crunched softly beneath Andromeda's feet as she wove through the trees. Her trained hand remained poised, hovering above the quiver slung over her back. In her left, she gripped a compound bow. In quiet moments such as this she often thought of how lucky she was. Aside from the end of the earth and the damn dead dudes lurking, she was lucky to have what she had, be in the position she was in. Andromeda thought about her parents. Caia and Franco Albero were her everything.

Andromeda had been born in Bath, England. They had moved as a family to Atlanta, Georgia four years ago when Andromeda was 20. Her parents finally able to make their dream of being business owners come true. They had opened a large camping and hunting store in the big city, and thrived as the business had taken off. Andromeda had found a job in a local motorcycle shop, her bike her one true love. She had taken up archery shorty after they had arrived in the states. Her papá had insisted she learn how to take care of herself. And now she couldn't thank him enough for pushing her toward a bow. She'd learnt to make arrows, so she could refill her own ammunition. A tear threatened her vision, she swiftly wiped her sleeve across her face. Thinking about her parents was her weakness, because they weren't here. She had always been used to having her mother and papa being there for her. She thought about the last time she's saw them, they'd gone on holiday to New Zealand for three weeks. Papá had left her in charge of the store, had done her hours in the motorcycle shop, and drove to the family store during her lunch to check on the staff and after work to close up. Three days before her parents were due to fly home borders were closed. No flights in, no flights out. The 'flu' spreading like wildfire, leaving hospitals overcrowded and the public panicked. She had spoken to her parents that day…

" _Andy. We can't fly home. The airports are shut, the borders are closed. There is nothing we can do, I have never seen so much security here in my life."_ Her mother had rattled down the phone, worry spiking in her voice. _"You need to stay safe! I don't know what this I yet, but it's something big! The news are reporting people being unharmed by shots to the chest, they are talking about the bites, oh Andy, the bites, that's how it spreads! Stay away from them please!"_ She had never heard her Mother get so worked up. It was a relief to hear her Papá's voice of reason come through the receiver much calmer and contained, _"Andromeda."_ He'd said in his thick Italian accent, _"Your Mother is right. This world is becoming a dangerous pace. I fear that we are facing the end of our race. Shh, sh, Andy, listen to me. There will come a time where everything closes down, including telephones. We do not have much time. You need to prepare yourself. Where are you?"_

" _The shop, papá."_ Andy had replied.

" _Good. Now listen to me very carefully. You need to get out. Out of the city. Atlanta is too dangerous now, the cities are most at risk. Andy I want you to take everything you need from the shop. Be sensible, make sure whatever you take you are able to carry on your back, the time will come where transport is hard to come by. People are already looting here, it is only a matter of hours before the USA declare a state of emergency and the residents do the same. Take your bow, and remember your knife. Never part with your knife, Andy. Remember a sharpening block, it will be heavy in your bag, but without it you will fail. Dress for any condition and ration your food starting now."_ At this point, Andy had been stuttering on the other end of the phone. What was her Papá insinuating? The end of the world? Humans turning against each other, was this war? How could a sickness cause this much chaos?

" _Andy? ANDY? Are you there?"_

" _Yes, I'm here, I'm sorry, Papá, I just don't know what to do, I can't do this on my own, I can't do it without you and Mum!"_

" _Andromeda you listen to me right now."_ Her Papá's intense voice sent a shiver through her body. She was silenced. " _You are my daughter. My only child. My biggest accomplishment. You have your Mother's heart, and you have my determination. You will survive this. Do everything I have said, and look after yourself. Do not worry about me and your Mother. The population here is small, the country uses the wind and sun to create energy, and we will be fine here. We will do anything to get back to you Andy. Anything. Please look after yourself, follow your gut, don't let people fool you. We love you so, so much An-"The_ phone had cut off there. Andy's biggest regret had been that she hadn't told her parents goodbye. She had cried in the back office of the shop after that phone call for two hours before filling a pack of supplies, packing a 2 man tent, sleeping bag, gloves, sunglasses, portable camping stove, matches, lighters, food amongst other things. It felt strange to loot her own family's store. After finishing her bag she had gone behind the counter to follow her papá's advice. She had browsed the hunting knives, selecting three. A small compact knife for filleting and skinning animals, a medium sized knife complete with one razor sharp edge and one serrated. The last she had taken was a large machete type knife. She had taken a utility belt to attach the weapon to and fastened it around her waist. She had taken a sharpening stone and placed it in the back pocket of the belt. Finally she had placed her quiver over her shoulder, and picked up her bow. She had taken several deep breaths and lots of mental preparation before she stepped outside to load her bike. Her bike packed, her jacket and helmet on, she took a look back to the shop. She had made a last minute decision to lock the front door and pull down the window and door shutters and lock them into place. Her father had told her to follow her gut, and her gut told her thing could only get worse. At least she knew the stock she had left behind here. She may need it in the future.

The sharp sound of a breaking twig caused Andy to whip around and back into focus. Like lightning she had removed and arrow from her quiver and drawn it in the direction of the sound, she moved behind a tree and threw her head around the trunk to pinpoint the source of the noise.

"No way…" mouthed Andy as she watched the hindquarters of a huge buck disappear into the thickness of the trees. Andy had been living on squirrel now for three weeks. And once she was done with the skinning, the prize was quite the opposite from plentiful. Her skills with the small filleting knife did not match her skills with the bow. Her mouth watered at the thought of venison as she made to follow the animal. She crept quietly along, the tail of the buck at the end of her eyeline. The creature made its way in to a small clearing, and Andy hovered in the trees. She redrew her bow, pulling back on the bowstring slowly. Slowing her breath, she lined up her shot. Releasing her breath, she prepared to shoot, and let her arrow fly just as she heard a groan behind her back. "Shit!" she said under her breath as she spun around to face the dead man who had evidently been making his way towards her for longer than she had realised. Andy shoved her bow into the rotting throat of the dead man pushing him back in to a tree. Grunting against the strength of the fight she pulled her machete knife from her belt and brought it down into the decaying head. She pulled her bow back and let the man fall to the floor.

"Shit." She remarked again, she'd got so in to the idea of eating venison that she had ignored everything else. _There's a way to get yourself killed, Andy._ She cursed herself before remembering she'd still fired the arrow. Hell, she may have buggered up the shot thanks to the dead man walking, but her arrow might have hit its mark. Moving back through the trees she snuck quietly towards the clearing. And there it was, the buck lay across the ground, a pool of blood surrounding. Andy was infuriated, knelt down by her prize was a dead chick, pulling out the insides of her tea.

"Son of a bitch!"

"SUNNAVABITCH!"

Andy froze, someone else had spoken at the same time as her, said the same thing, and she was terrified. She had not come across another person in well over two weeks, and from her experience, the further they got in to this apocalypse, the worst the living had become. Andy drew another arrow and held the bow up silently, flicking her eyes left and right. She watched as a man stepped in to the clearing aiming a crossbow in her direction. She knew he had seen her, so she stepped out also, keeping her arrow trained on his head.

"Thas ma deer!" he shouted not at Andy, but at the dead girl who was still ripping the buck apart. He walked towards the deer, all the while keeping his crossbow trained on Andy. "Look a' it, all gnawed on by this filthy- discustin'- bastard!" he stomped effectively three times on the dead girl's head, smashing her skull over the forest floor. "I been trackin' this deer fuh miles!" he shouted again, this time he directed his displeasure towards Andy.

Unsure of what to do, Andy tried to remain calm. The guy was clearly an experienced hunter, the type that came in to her family's shop, and he was probably telling the truth when he said he had tracked the buck for miles. Andy tried to lighten the mood, "Well, you're going to have to share that deer with me, because I see two arrows." She nodded toward the ruined carcass and watched as the man inspected the red feather tip that belonged to her. She gazed at him intently, desperately trying to work out if this man meant trouble. He carried nothing but his crossbow, a knife at his hip, a handmade quiver filled with bolts and a piece of thin rope over his body where a crowded quantity of squirrels were hanging from. She was surprised to see him raise his eyebrows in an impressed expression as he studied her shot, only a couple of inches away from his. When he stood back up, she remained staring him in the eye, boring into his, too afraid to lower her bow.

"Won' pretend it ain' a good shot, but this here deer is mine, I got people ta' feed." he stated. So he was from a group. A panic went through Andy's mind, coming across a group was either a blessing or a curse. Andy had come across a bad one before, and she wasn't likely to forget it.

Andy relaxed her pull on the bowstring and lowered her weapon slightly to come across amicable, but the man still looked at her with distrust. "I wouldn't eat that now if I were you, not now the dead girl has torn it apart. I'm not an expert on this dead thing, but that meat could be contaminated.

The man didn't like that at all. "If ya think ya can trick me inta leavin' it here for ya to drag off, you gotta' 'nother thing comin." Andy sighed. She wasn't trying to trick him, she wanted to know what he was about. Was he from a good group? Or bad? Just then as the man continued to ramble, another dead woman emerged from the trees behind him. He was too busy cursing Andy to hear it. "Thinkin' I'm an idiot, I ain't!" he shouted at her. "This deer is mine, an' you can bite me!" Andy couldn't help but give a small titter at his choice of words. Andy nodded towards the dead girl and spoke back to the man, "Oh she will! DUCK!"

Andy thanked the man silently in her head as he dropped to his knees, she suspected he only obliged because the subject had changed so swiftly, confusing him. Andy redrew her bowstring to its full capacity and brought the weapon up to her cheek, she steadied her breathing and let the arrow fly, not wasting any time. The man watched her with puzzled eyes as the arrow soared over his head, he span around to see the unmoving body of a dead girl who had crept way too close to him for his liking. The man kicked the body of the girl and spat. "Ugly bitch" he stated as he bent down to pull out the arrow from the girls head.

Andy had lowered her weapon. If saving his life didn't make him see sense, nothing would. She decided if he wouldn't talk, she'd just leave and carry on. She was doing fine by herself anyway.

"Hey!" the man called out. Andy looked towards the man and nodded her head backwards to accept his conversation. "Why dya' do tha'?" the man asked, suspicion etched all over his hard features, "You coulda' left it, got me bit then bam, you gotta' deer."

Andy gave him a sad smile, "Unfortunately I really do think that meat is ruined. I wasn't trying to trick you. I don't even know you, why would I kill you?"

"Cus' ya don' know me." He replied.

"I only kill men I've gotten to know!" Andy laughed at her own joke, she left the man looking awkward and out of place. She the instantly felt the same way, she was hardly one to 'get to know men' frequently, if you'd asked her before all this mess, she would have told you her three favourite men were here papá, Harley Davidson and Jack Daniels.

"Look," she said trying to avoid what she'd just said, "you said you have a group? How many?"

"What dus it matter to ya?" he asked defensively. Andy closed the long gap between them by walking toward him slowly. She watched as his arms twitch as he tightened his grip on the crossbow.

"Because I'm on my own." She admitted. This guy may seem aggressive, but her gut told her he was good. "And I was wondering if you had room for one more?" Andy looked the man in the eyes hopefully. This close to him, she looked in to an icy shade of blue, but their gaze was only held for moment before the man broke it apart.

"Hhmmph" he grunted. "I don' see why not, but I ain' walkin' back to ma' camp with ya weapon, I don' trust ya' and we got kids there ta' worry about.'

"Walking? How far?" she asked the man, he squinted up at her, a smile teasing at his lips, _was this chick expecting a five minute stroll?_ He thought to himself.

"We're about ten miles out, girl, so I hope ya brought your hikin' shoes." He laughed as they made their way through the trees to the main path. Andy smiled to herself when only after 5 minutes of walking she recognised the bush from this morning, she beckoned to the man to follow her. The man eyed her suspiciously, but followed, not overly worried about an unarmed woman. He watched as she bent down to pull the shrub sideways. He stole a glance at her figure as she leant over to pick something up, and his eyes widened in surprise when she stood up. She had straightened up holding a big black Harley bike. She had started laughing at the look on his face, which had made the man turn a light shade of pink, "About ten miles out hey?" she called to him as she threw her spare helmet to the man. He caught it with ease, although still stunned by the scenario. "Well I hope you can ride." She sent him a playful wink and immediately cursed herself. _First man you see in two weeks and you're flirting? Get yourself together!_

The man approached the bike as she held it proudly. She had managed to keep hold of her bike this whole time, and had become an expert at hiding it when she needed to venture out on foot. The man's eyes remained glued to the bike, she could already tell he was a bike guy. "You like her?" Andy asked making the man jump, she flashed a smile, "she's an Iron883. Best bike I've ever had."

The man grunted and continued to analyse the motorcycle in disbelief as Andy stuck a hand in front of his face, "I'm Andromeda." She smiled.

"Andro- Andromeda?" he replied in his Southern drawl, "I'll call ya Andy..." he looked up at her waiting to see if she would take offence.

"My parents call me Andy." She smiled gently at the man who finally accepted her handshake.

"Daryl." He muttered only holding the shake for seconds before shying away and looking at his boots.

"Well I'm glad I met you, Daryl. I can't tell you what it's like to speak to a real person again. Shall we go? The sun I starting to dip." She asked Daryl. He looked up to the sky and grunted his approval, he stood shyly next to the bike before Andy told him to "go ahead".

As he climbed on to the bike Andy could see he was a natural. He melted in to the seat with an expression that said he'd not felt the wind in his face that only a motorcycle could supply in a long time. She watched as his face softened, and took the opportunity to take him in. She noticed that you couldn't see the piercing blue of his eyes unless you were stood face to face with him as she was earlier, and he held a permanent squint, like a scowl on his face, though she thought his hard exterior suited him well. He was covered in dirt, as was she, but she could tell from how he had spent the day in nothing but a flannel vest that his skin was sunkissed, and he was very used to the Georgia heat. She watched him more as he studied the bike, caressing the finish with his fingers, tracing them lightly over the Harley logo. Andy felt her cheeks go hot, and she knew why. She had never got on the back of a bike with a man. She was the biker, she didn't need someone to drive her, but this time, she had no idea where she was going, and there was only one bike.

She took a quick breath as Daryl called "You comin' or what?" over his shoulder and she made her way towards him.

 _Woohoo my first chapter!_

 _I really hoped you like this. It's a very long opening, but I thought I would write as much as I can!_

 _I plan to write as much as I can, but my 100% days will be Wednesday, so you can expect updates from me then!_

 _I would love to hear from you guys. I have never done this before, so I really would love to know what you guys think!_

 _And reviews, favourites and follows mean the world! Thanks xx_


	3. Chapter 2 - GOOD-FOR-NOTHING REDNECK

**GOOD-FOR-NOTHING REDNECK**

Looking from a post-apocalyptic point of view, the ride back to camp had been pretty uneventful. Looking from a theres-a-girl-who-shows-up-slings-an-arrow-in-to-a-buck-then-produces-a-fucking-Harley-with-her-arms-around-me point of view, the ride back to camp was sending Daryl crazy. He had long forgotten the pull of a woman. Before the world went to shit, Daryl only put up with the women he'd bedded because his brother had made him do so. Merle had looked after him, maybe too much. He had put Daryl in to the worst situations with women. He'd hated the pressure from his brother, hated the clingy, desperate girls Merle had always insisted they hung around with, hated his life back then, period.

The women at the camp were a different kind of distaste. They didn't bat an eye at Daryl, and that didn't bother him in the slightest. He was happy riding out this shit hole of a world with no one but his brother. No, the reason he couldn't stand the women back at camp, was because they were clueless. Without the men around them, they would have nothing, hell, they'd probably be dead. They reminded him of the women Merle would inflict upon Daryl, always needing something from you, always wanting you, but never appreciating you, never being thankful. With the exception of Andrea, Daryl thought all the women back at camp were like that.

Daryl couldn't deny, if it weren't for the ring leader, Lori, then maybe the other women would be pulling more weight, or would be more appreciative of the group surrounding them, it was enough to just be alive these days, but these women still wanted to live the high life, taking care of simple tasks, letting all the men do everything else for them. Daryl had snapped more than once at some of the women. At present he was the one and only member of a large group of people that was able to track and hunt. Meaning, at present, he was the only one providing food. If he were to die on this trip, they would be fucked. Daryl smirked, it felt good to know he was good for something, even if he didn't hear it from the group. Not even his brother would utter a 'thanks' when he emerged from the trees carrying game. But that was Merle, he was used to that, it had been the same since they were kids. Comes with being the little brother he guessed. And then here comes along this girl, this girl who saved _his_ life, and she tells him she's glad she's met him? It confused Daryl. No woman had ever said anything like that to him before, even before the world fucked up. He pushed the thought from his head, hell she probably only said it so he would bring her back to camp, and then she would turn in to a docile housewife like the rest of them, spending her days tanning up her legs in the sun whilst the men worked hard to maintain safety at the camp.

But would she? He couldn't pretend he wasn't impressed by her shot on the buck. Her arrow had struck the beast only inches away from where his bolt had hit. He couldn't ignore how she'd saved his life. Saved the life of a man she had never met, a man who hasn't washed in a week, a good-for-nothing redneck that ain't never had a woman look out for him. And he couldn't ignore her flirting, however subtle it may have been, her shy wink in his direction had sent a thrill through his spine that he couldn't explain, so he had just tried his best to ignore it. Ignore the fact she had looked too long in to his eyes, trying his best to ignore the fact she was behind him now, thighs clenched tightly around his hips, her arms wrapped around his waist, hands clutching on his flannel vest. Thinking about ignoring all of these things soon made Daryl too hot. His hands started to sweat around the handlebars of the bike, and he prayed she couldn't feel his spike in body temperature. The sun was getting lower, the temperature falling, and there he was, getting hotter and hotter. He wasn't sure if he would be able to overcome the unusual feeling that lurched in his stomach. He had literally stumbled upon a British chick who wielded a bow, knew how to use it and rode around on an Iron with no one's protection but her own. Surely this was Daryl's idea of a dream come true? " _Stop"_ he told himself. He would not allow himself to think about this woman. He didn't even know the chick. She was probably just as bitchy as the other chicks he's crossed paths with. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

Just as the sun fell below a hill in the horizon and plunged them to darkness, Daryl started to slow. Andy started to grow nervous. It had been a long time since she was around a group of people. She was worried how they would take a newcomer. This world was a hostile place, and she knew first hand that strangers weren't to be trusted. She laughed through her helmet into Daryl's back. " _Strangers aren't to be trusted"_ she repeated to herself internally, and there she was arms snaked round a complete strangers waist, allowing him to take her in to what could easily be a horrible trap, and on _her_ Harley, no less.

"Somethin' funny?" Daryl growled, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Just can't believe we haven't passed any dead." Lied Andy quickly.

"We have, three walkers so far. Won' no point in stoppin' to put 'em down with the sun goin' down. Weren't ya payin' attention?" he asked as he slowed the bike to a stop.

"Oh" _"shit"_ she thought, "no ugh- it's just a different feeling being on the back of a bike… I've always rode solo, well apart from the time I took my Mum out for a spin to give her a fright." She laughed, sending what Daryl realised to be a familiar chill through his body once more. This girl was distracting him, and he was not comfortable with it.

"Ya gonna get off, then, or wha?" he said irritably. "We need ta walk from 'ere, camps just up through them there trees, we can push the bike through."

"Oh, yeah, sure, sorry." Andy replied awkwardly getting off the back of the bike, blushing. Daryl felt an odd pang of guilt snapping at him, " _what the fuck, man, snap out of it!"_ he told himself.

She went to take the bike from Daryl, but he shrugged him off muttering "Naw, I got it." She replied with a "Thanks" and they continued through the trees towards the camp. Towards an unknown group of people. Andy placed her hands in her pockets to dry the sweat, and was thankful for the darkness shadowing her nervous composure.

As they got closer, Andy spotted the dim glow of a small campfire in a large meadow clearing through the trees. Andy walked alongside Daryl in nervous anticipation, taking steady breaths, they stepped through the trees.

"Daryl!" called a thick Southern accent, "Where you bin brotha'?" a man was striding toward them with a purpose, he opened his mouth to say something else to Daryl, and noticed Andy emerging through the trees, "Why hello there, pretty lady, where you come from?"

Andy laughed, she was so used to the older men of Georgia chatting her and the other girls up when she was in her parents shop. She normally hated it, hated having to nod and smile whilst they used their stupid lines on her, but in this moment it was refreshing. Refreshing to hear even a snippet of her old life at present.

"Hey" said Andy politely, holding out a hand, "I'm Andromeda, or Andy, nice to meet you."

Merle sniggered at her name, _"Isn't the first time, and won't be the last"_ thought Andy as Merle took her hand and planted a wet kiss on the dirty surface of her skin.

"Din' think ya had it in ya, little bro!" Merle laughed as he slapped a very uncomfortable Daryl on the back, "Hey gang!" he called to the group around the fire, (" _strange how no one but Merle turned their head at the man coming home with what looks like everyone's dinner"_ ) "New meat! And I ain't talkin' 'bout some fancy critter to sink ya teeth in to, Daryl only gon' brough a chick back wid' him!" at this members of the group started to rise. Andy was taken aback when a man started briskly walking towards them with dark looks on his face.

A man with short black hair and a dominant grimace on his face rounded on Daryl, "Who's this?" he asked, pointing at Andy. Daryl looked square at the man and raised his eyebrows, "I know you ain't gon' talk ta me like that with ya' dinner ova' ma' shoulder." The man looked down at the array of squirrels Daryl had slung over his body.

"I don't care about no damn squirrels, Dixon, who do ya' think ya' are bringing strangers back to camp?!" the man stepped closer to Daryl, squaring up to him. Daryl reciprocated the movement and Andy found herself worried about the hunter.

Andy cleared her throat, "I can speak for myself, y'know, I'm Andromeda- call me Andy. I don't mean any harm on your group." Shane turned his attention towards her, she continued, thinking of a way to diffuse the tension, "I've been on my own for weeks, I bumped in to your guy, Daryl in the woods, we were tracking the same deer, we shot it down, but the dead got there first." She nodded towards Daryl in appreciation, "Daryl saved my life, I wasn't paying attention, he shot a dead girl moments before she got to me-"

Daryl narrowed him eyes at Andy, she'd just lied. Point blank lied to Shane's face. Andy had saved _his_ life, why would she paint the picture different? Shane looked to Daryl in disbelief, "That how it went Daryl?" he drilled, attention on him. Daryl glanced toward Andy who gave him a pleading look, even in the low glow of the moonlight he could detect the deep blue of her eyes, she mentally shook himself. "Yeah, thas' how it went." Shane cleared his throat loudly and looked back at Andy.

"You got any weapons, Andromeda is it?" he asked.

"That's it, or Andy if you'd prefer. I have three knives and a bow, but Daryl stripped me back in the woods." At this Andy mentally cursed herself at her choice of words as Merle howled with laughter nudging his brother in the ribs, "I betcha' did, littl' bro!" he added quietly, Andy tried sending Daryl an apologetic glance, but he wasn't paying attention, starting at his boots, or the ground, she couldn't work out which. She felt guilty for making him feel uncomfortable again. Shane spoke again, bringing her back to the issue at hand.

"Well, that's good. I'm sorry for being so blunt with you, Andy, but it's hard to trust people these days, we ain't seen another person since they bombed the city. Come meet the group, tomorrow we'll give you your weapons back. That your bike?" Andy nodded, smiling, thankful the interrogation had gone well, "We got a place up the top of the meadow. You can put it there with the other car and Daryl's bike."

"I got it." Daryl muttered, and before Andy could thank him, he'd spend off with her Harley at his side up the meadow. She reminded herself to pay him a visit later to thank him for everything he'd done today. Seeing all these people had lit a beacon of hope inside of her that she had long ago extinguished.

She followed as Shane started to head back to the group, she noticed Merle drift off back towards two small tents pitched up further away from the others, and she guessed the second one was Daryl's.

She tore her eyes away from the brother's little set up when they arrived at the circle of eager campers. Some people were already stood, Shane spoke up, "Guys, this is Andy. Daryl found her, saved her. Apparently." He added dryly, Andy noticed the change in his tone mentioning Daryl. "Anyway. We have her weapons. We'll give them back tomorrow, we will get to know her first."

With that, Shane put his hands on his hips, "I'm gonna go do a perimeter check and make sure Dixon is gettin' those squirrels prepped for tonight. Carol, get the pans ready, we'll eat in an hour." He strode off leaving Andy awkwardly standing amongst all these new faces. She glanced around the group, a mixture of men, women and children surrounded her, she couldn't believe it. Her eyes fell on a young Asian boy, he looked around 21, and her mouth parted in an O shape as she made the connection, "Dude!" she exclaimed to the boy, "You're my pizza guy!" everyone looked between her and the boy, and he laughed, jumping up toward Andy. "I'm Glenn! And you're, Alllll- Albero? Is that right?" he laughed, "You were a regular!" they both laughed and exchanged a small hug. "Well what can I say?" Andy beamed, "I love pizza!" by now the entire group were laughing together.

Andy introduced herself, and one by one they introduced themselves to her. Dale, Glenn, Carole, Carl, Lori, Rick, Amy, Andrea, Sophia, to name a few. Andy was happy to be surrounded by such accepting people. They talked away about how she had managed alone, she told them about her parents hunting and camping shop, about how lucky she was to not have to scavenge for supplies.

Shane later came back with a tray of skinned and gutted squirrels in his arms, Carole took them away and promptly began to cook them. Andy admired the yield of meat left on the squirrels. She made a mental note to improve her skinning skills before presenting this group (who were clearly used to the perfection of Daryl's work as not one of them batted an eye) with meat.

Whilst they ate they continued to ask Andy about her life on the road alone, and she told them everything until this point. She changed her meeting with Daryl again, telling the group he's saved her life, like she had told Shane. At this point in the story, the group quietened. She looked around at the vacant expressions of the group she noticed occurred whenever Daryl's name was mentioned.

"I can't believe Daryl would do something like that for someone." The woman, Lori, exclaimed.

"Why?" Andy asked, confused.

"Well, he just isn't the helping out type is he?" she laughed, nodding her head towards the Dixon brothers' set up.

Andy reciprocated the laugh bitterly, "It looks like he's the one who feeds you." She looked towards Lori with a stern expression, did these people really think that little of the man who kept their camp fed? Andy looked back down at her plate, unsure whether she was mad at herself for making a bad first impression on the group, or mad at Lori for being so damn ungrateful in a world gone to shit.

Daryl hovered near the camp, unsure whether or not to join the group. They were his damn squirrels they were eating, why didn't he just go sit down and eat? Something left him hovering behind the RV. Why did he even want to sit with them anyways? They were just a group of bastards that didn't want him around. A gust of wind picked up and whipped through his hair, and Lori's voice swam towards him.

"I can't believe Daryl would do something like that for someone." She'd said in that toddy tone he loathed. Angry, he made to move back to his camp when another voice caught his attention.

"Why?" it had said. Her voice questioned Lori and he flattened his back against the RV to listen.

"Well, he just isn't the helping out type is he?" Lori's words cut through Daryl. He always thought he didn't give a shit about what these people had to say about him or his brother, but the way she was slandering him in front of Andy made him hurt. He knew he shouldn't give a shit what she thought either, this new girl. Hell, he knew Lori would soon mould her in to another stupid minion. She's been here a couple of hours, must be a record.

And just when Daryl was ready to storm around the corner to give the group some hell, the voice he had unintentionally been listening out for chimed towards him through the wind.

"It looks like he's the one who feeds you." She had stated, bluntly. Daryl felt a balloon of pride swell in his chest, he grinned a private grin the rest of the group didn't know he was capable of. If only she'd added a "bitch", it would have been perfect. She knew what it was like to fend for herself, she had realised it was twice if not three times the work to fend for a group.

He used the tension and lull in conversation to round the RV to grab some food for himself and Merle.

 _Guys! Hope you are enjoying this story._

 _I already have lots of ideas about Andy and Daryl's relationship, but I would love to hear your suggestions! What would you like to see?_

 _Please, please, please, review, follow, favourite if you enjoyed this._

 _I will be posting every Wednesday, I may even post again tonight if I carry on writing, I'm in the zone!_

 _Love every one of you who takes the time to read. x_


	4. Chapter 3-AIN'T NOTHIN' TA' THANK ME FOR

**CHAPTER THREE – AIN'T NOTHIN' TA' THANK ME FOR**

Daryl emerged from behind the RV towards the group. They collectively glanced at one another nervously, all silently communicating in a panic to whether or not the man had heard Lori's digs, and their laughs. They watched as he bent down to claim the last two (and smallest) squirrels from the spit. The group began to look to the ground in unison, none of them willing to speak to the hunter.

"Hey, Daryl?" Andy piped up, the group cast confused stares in the girl's direction.

"Huh?" Daryl grumbled, not looking up from his task of removing his dinner from the dying embers.

"I just wanted to thank you." She told him, genuinely. This seemed to take the man off guard, he couldn't remember the last person to give him thanks.

"For wha'?" he growled, wishing the damn squirrels were easier to remove so he could get back to Merle. Get away from these people.

"For pushing my bike up the meadow." Andy exclaimed, nodding her head towards the vehicles parked across the way. "And for the food, and, well, for bringing me back here." She added shyly, she felt the need to show these people the man they were slandering behind his back seemed to be a good person. She imagined his rough exterior, bad language and short temper had left a lasting bad impression on the group.

"'Ain't nothin' ta thank me for." Daryl muttered, embarrassed. He hadn't had a conversation with another member of the group aside from Merle for this long unless it was some kind of disagreement.

"Of course there is." Andy insisted to the man, "You saved me out there. I owe you." The group exchanged puzzled looks at one another, when was the last time anyone has witnessed a real conversation from Daryl Dixon that didn't result in someone being called a bitch or someone having to hold him back? "You smoke?" she asked him, ignoring the tension the group was creating. Daryl seemed to relax his shoulders slightly, a detail Andy picked up on.

"I wish" he snarled, finally managing to free the second squirrel from the spit. "Damn end of tha' world got us all givin' up our bad habits." And with that he stood up and began to walk back towards the small camp himself and his brother has made. Andy jumped up on the balls of her feet and eft the group stunned as they watched her fall in lie beside Daryl.

"Can you believe that?!" exclaimed Lori to the rest of the group.

"Daryl having a half conversation with a person?" Shane replied, still eyeing Andy and Daryl's backs suspiciously, "No. I don't."

Andy jogged up towards Daryl, catching him up, "Hey!" she called to him as he continued to walk.

"What do ya want?" he snapped at her, keeping his eyes forward.

"Wanted to ask if you've got a light?" she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. She had 16 left. She had found a silver lining three days ago whilst hunting for food. After coming back to her hidden bike with an empty stomach, she had noticed a glint beneath the leaves. She had remembered the feeling of sheer luck when she had picked up a fresh and sealed back of twenty Marlborough and had forgotten all about her growling stomach.

Daryl turned to face her as she placed a cigarette between her lips and held the packet toward him, offering. Daryl took a cigarette eagerly. How long had it been since his last smoke? Two weeks? Too long. He pulled a green zippo from his pocket and lit the cigarette, inhaling deeply. A weight immediately lifted from his shoulders, and he exhaled what felt like all his troubles in the world. He handed the lighter to Andy and watched as she lit her cigarette, take a pull and exhale with a wide smile on her face.

"Why are ya' doin' this?" Daryl asked her, narrowing his eyes at Andy. "Ya don't even know me, them there cigs ain't gonna last ya long, why you go sharin' 'em with me?" he looked confused Andy thought. She guessed he wasn't used to people sharing with him. She had noticed how the hunter had been left with the two smallest animals for himself and his brother, and had first hand experienced how the group felt about him. Andy thought a moment, taking a long pull on her cigarette before speaking, he was defensive, and she didn't want to scare him off.

"Like I said back there, I owe you." She told him, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips.

"For what?" he snapped back at her. "You don't owe me nothin', ya lied to them back there, ya lied about that walker, told 'em I saved ya when ya saved-" he paused, restructuring his words "when I didn't." he took a long drag of his cigarette, exhaling loudly. "Why did ya say that? Why don't ya just buddy up with the rest of them and leave me to it?" he stared at the woman, his words like acid on his tongue. She looked back at him with sad eyes.

"I just thought you could use some company." She muttered quietly, hanging her head. Daryl felt a pang of guilt, but he swept the feeling aside and did what he did best, pushed her away.

"Well I don't. I got all the company I need in ma' brotha'. I don't need you or anyone else in the fuckin' group throwin' me a pity party!" he spat. Daryl flicked his cigarette but to the wind and left Andy standing in the middle of the meadow alone, back towards his brother.

Andy watched as Daryl stormed off back towards his tent. She felt sharp sting of rejection as if Daryl had reached forward and slapped her across the face. She took one last pull on her cigarette before dropping it to the ground and extinguishing the orange embers with her boot. She sighed, defeated and turned back toward the rest of the group. _Maybe they were right about him_ she thought as she reached the others. She did her best to compose herself and put on a smile before taking her place back in the circle around the fire. She looked up at the others, scanning faces as each one was looking back at her. She suspected she had come back just as they were talking about her, fighting back the strong urge to shout WHAT? She thanked Dale silently in her head as he spoke diverting the conversation away from her.

"So Shane, what are our plans for watches tonight?" the old man said, glancing briefly towards Andy before turning his head to Shane.

"Well, I thought I could take first watch, and you could take second." Shane replied to Dale with authority.

Dale nodded, as Andy cut in, "I don't mind helping." She told the man. The last thing she wanted to do now was sleep. The feeling of Daryl casting her aside had sent an array of thoughts swirling through her mind, and she knew if she had tried to sleep, she wouldn't have been able to. Might as well help out.

"That's very kind of ya', Andy" Shane began, "But ya have to see from our perspective, you're new here. And until we get to know ya, I don't feel comfortable allowing you to keep watch whilst we sleep." He gave her an apologetic, yet still stern look. Andy understood. She was a stranger, she had been with them a matter of hours, and had showed up with a member of the group the rest of them seemed to despise.

"She can keep watch with me." Dale said, smiling towards Andy.

"That's a good idea." Shane replied, looking towards the old man, "but she can take first watch with me. I'd feel a lot safer keeping my eye on you myself." He spoke this time to Andy.

"That sounds fair." Andy told the man, "Where do you watch from?"

"Top of the RV." Shane told her, "we'll begin in ten" he stated looking around the group. "I think it's about time everyone got to bed." Andy realised his last suggestion worked as an order to the people of this group. It was clear they looked to Shane as a leader as they rose and began bidding each other goodnight, Dale stomping out the embers with his boot, Lori guiding Carl back to their tent by the hand, Rick following in their wake. Quickly, they all made it back to their tents and were zipping up their doors. "I'll wake you at two AM." Shane called to Dale as he reached his tent. The old man nodded at the pair as he dipped through the door.

Andy followed Shane up the side ladder of the RV, and sank in to one of the two camping chairs that sat upon the roof.

Daryl let his weight fall on the log outside his tent and called to his brother, "Merle, dinner!"

Daryl began to tare angrily at the squirrel meat, stuffing pieces of the animal in to his mouth. His appetite had left him, though he continued to rip the meat from the bone, giving his hands something to do.

Merle emerged from his tent, looking towards his brother, "'bout damn time, little bro'!" he exclaimed. "Ya' left ol' Merle starvin' ova' here, what took ya' so long? Ya' left half hour ago, been givin' that British chick one?" he laughed, slapping his brother on the back before taking a seat on the ground opposite.

Daryl didn't look up from his meal. "Shu'up Merle, ya' got ya' damn dinner, now eat it." He growled pulling the meat from the squirrel in his hands, agitated.

Merle raised his brows, grinning widely at his brother. "Who got ya' panties in a twist, little bro'? Miss Brit playin' hard ta get?" he laughed again as took his food in both hands and tore away at the flesh with his teeth.

Daryl threw his half eaten squirrel to the ground, "fuck off, Merle." The man grumbled at his brother before striding towards his tent and ripping the door aside. Merle chuckled to himself as he watched Daryl zip the door to his tent. "No pro'lem, little bro'," he called out, sucking his fingers and casting away the stripped bones of his dinner, "More fa' me!" he picked up the squirrel Daryl had left, and began tearing at the meat hungrily.

Daryl lay on his back, a hurricane of thoughts coursing through his brain giving him a headache. Why didn't he leave that damn woman our in the woods? He wouldn't be led here in frustration if he had. _Because she saved me._ A voice in his head replied. Daryl furrowed his brow and frowned. Why had she saved him? He asked himself for the thousandth time. He wasn't worth saving. He was just some redneck nobody from Georgia who spent his time being an asshole with his brother. She was probably some snob with a good job, lots of money, big house and an equally as snobby boyfriend. Daryl felt a twinge of jealously as he thought about Andy and some rich pretty boy. What was going on with him? Daryl grunted, annoyed at himself as he rolled on to his side. Should he have shouted at the woman the way he had after all she had done for him? Should he have left her standing alone? Daryl remembered the hurt in her deep blue eyes as he'd yelled at her and felt ashamed. He let out an exasperated sigh. This wasn't him. Why should he care if he's upset the stupid woman? She didn't give a shit about him, probably just felt sorry for him. He contemplated his decision and came to the conclusion that the group has probably talked about himself and his brother as outsiders, and she threw him a pity party. Yeah, that was it. _Pat the poor redneck on the back_. Daryl huffed, sitting up and removing his boots. He pushed thoughts of Andy to the back of his mind and got in to his sleeping bag. _Fuck them._ He thought as he drifted off to sleep.

 _Guys!_

 _I was way too excited about this story to wait until next week to write another chapter!_

 _Luckily I don't have to be in work until late tomorrow so I thought I would write this evening._

 _I really hope those of you who have read have enjoyed what you've seen so far!_

 _In the next chapter, I'm going to have Shane and Andy's watch, and I think we can all predict the "Stay away from the Dixons preach" Shane is going to try!_

 _We'll see Andy settling in to the camp more too, and her attempts to crack the hard shell of Daryl!_

 _I really want Andy and Merle to develop a playful friendship, so I am thinking of using Merle as a way of Andy to get closer to the youngest Dixon._

 _Let me know what you guys think._

 _This is only the beginning, but I am so thankful for those of you that have read!_

 _I want to say a particular thanks to:_

 _Anji1504 – my first favourite! Thank you so much, I am glad you've enjoyed the opening chapters!_

 _Woodland Spirit – my first follow! I am so thrilled you are wanting to hear more from this story, thank you!_

 _If you are enjoying the story so far, please, please, please review! I would love to hear any feedback, suggestions or improvements you guys may have! xx_


	5. Chapter 4 - WELCOME TA' CAMP DIXON

**CHAPTER FOUR – WELCOME TA' CAMP DIXON!**

Andy let out a breath and watched the cloud of hot air hit the cool, crisp one of the night. She had been sat watching the horizon in silence for the past four hours, trying to ignore the stern glances Shane had been sending her.

Andy sighed. "Whatever it is you want to say, Shane, just say it." She turned to look at the man, a bored expression on her face. She was old enough and independent enough to hold her own. The man's lips drew thin, his features screwed together in a look Andy knew all too well. It was a look she had seen on her own Papa, she knew a 'talk' was approaching.

"I know you're an adult, Andy. And, well, I know I don't even know you. I am way out of my rights here to tell you how to live your life, but I feel like I need to say something about- well- Daryl-"

Andy snorted, _fucking knew it_ she told herself, shaking her head. "And why do you think you feel the need to talk to me about _him_?" she asked Shane bluntly.

Shane ignored the woman's tone, "Because he's trouble. I've dealt with men like him and his brother through my entire career. The Dixons aren't the type of people to get involved with." He turned his head away and spat, watching it fall to the floor he added, "Fucking rednecks."

Andy wasn't surprised to hear what Shane had to say about the brothers. She was, however, surprised to see the look of pure hatred on his face as he cursed them. "Men like them are a waste of space!" he began to rant, "All they do is glide by in life, breaking the law, drinkin', doin' drugs, getting' picked up by the police, getting their life paid for by benefits, it's a joke." He breathed heavily, looking to Andy for her approval. However she did not give it.

"You're judging these men because of where they're from." She stated calmly, not wanting to entice Shane to shout.

"Yeah I am!" he replied, annoyed. "I'm the police! I know how it goes down, I know what men like this are capable of, how they treat people, and a woman like you ain't gonna-"

Andy cut him off, "Woah, woah, woah!" she began, motioning her arms in a stop signal. Shane's dark brown eyes looked in to her blue ones, the man intimidated her, but she was not going to let that show. "First of all, Shane, _you don't know me._ 'A woman like me'" she said making air quotations with her fingers, "can look after her damn self. I've been alone for weeks before I came across you guys. Because the man you are so quick to judge took pity on me and brought me here, to safety. Second, you _were_ the police. They don't exist anymore. We live in a world where man is equal. There is a greater danger that will be present until the painful day we die. The poor, the rich, the famous, the nobodies, the rednecks, the police, none of that matters anymore. We aren't going to do ourselves any good by keeping our old pathetic judgements of people we deem lesser than us in this world. In this world, it will kill us. You don't know me Shane, and you don't know those men. Neither do I, not yet, but I think if you and the rest of the group gave them a chance, or respected what they, especially Daryl does to keep you people alive, you'd change your tune." Andy raised her brow to Shane. He simply stared back, defeated. The pair sat in silence for the last hour of their shift before Shane dramatically stood up.

"I am going to wake Dale. Go set up your tent. There's a space next to Andrea and Amy's. It's the big orange one." He made his way to the edge of the RV and began to descend down the ladder. Just before his head dipped from view he stopped and spoke, "I stand by everything I said about the Dixon's. Don't say I didn't warn you." And before giving Andy a chance to respond, he had gone.

Andy rose from her chair, stretching. How could the man be so close minded? Andy had hated people like that in the world before it had ended. Judgemental people, racist people, sexist people, the lot, she had hated it. Her mind has always been open to all the wonders of the world, and everything humanity had to bring. She had lived by the rule of never judging anything by its cover, especially another human being. Her brain hummed with anger for Shane, and in an act of defiance, she marched up towards her bike.

Unloading her tent from the bike, she glanced down toward the two tents that sat a small distance away from the others. She thought about what Daryl would say if he woke up to her tent pitched up alongside his, but she decided she didn't care. Daryl may have been an arsehole to her, but she still liked him more than Shane, and right now rubbing her independence in Shane's face sounded like the best idea in the world. A small grin crept over her lips as she began to stride towards the Dixon's camp.

Silently and carefully, she constructed her tent a few meters away from Daryl's. She had thought about placing her tent near Merle's to avoid pissing Daryl off more than was necessary, but she remembered the man's eager attempts to chat her up and thought she'd rathe'r face the grumpy princess that was Daryl Dixon every morning than the wondering eyes of Merle. Andy blurted out a small laugh at the thought of 'Princess Daryl.' She clapped a hand to her mouth, and cursed herself when she heard one of the men stir.

A girlish laugh snapped Daryl out of sleep and had him sat up straight, reaching for his knife. Someone was outside his tent, right outside. An outsider looking in may have thought grabbing a sharp knife upon hearing a girl's giggles was irrational, but Daryl knew nobody came to their tents. Carol would walk to them sometimes in the afternoon to bring them clothes, but she would exchange no words with Daryl or Merle, staring at her feet the entire time. Carol would also always come around when the sun was high in the sky, around what Daryl would guess to be midday. Never had anyone come around at night, let alone in the _middle_ of the night.

Kicking his sleeping back aside, Daryl pulled on his boots swiftly. He was still wearing the same pair of jeans and flannel shirt from the night before. He never managed the comfiest of sleeps, but in this world comfort was a pleasure long gone. You had to be ready to fight twenty-four-seven, and if that meant sleeping in your jeans, that's what Daryl did.

He unzipped the door to his tent gingerly and poked his head out, knife hand closely behind. He squinted in the dark and made out a figure holding a large piece of fabric. Realising there was no threat, Daryl shook his head, stepped out from his tent and readied himself for a bicker. He holstered his knife between his jeans and belt and strode towards the figure.

She was already looking in Daryl's direction as he approached. _She must have heard me_ Daryl thought as he made out her apologetic look through the shadows of the night. "Wha' the fuck are ya' doin', woman?" he demanded in a quiet yet frustrated tone. He glanced towards Merle's tent and dreaded the thought of his brother waking up and making this engagement more difficult than he already knew it would be.

"I'm setting my tent up." Andy smiled at Daryl, holding up the fabric of the tent.

"I can see tha'." Daryl grumbled, "Wha' I'm askin' is why ya' settin' it up 'ere? Ya' gotta whole meadow 'round ya'," he continued, sweeping his arm in the direction of the empty grass to prove his point.

"Well I don't quite like the idea of pitching my tent on its own, I've been doing that for weeks already. I like the idea of being able to sleep knowing I'm near other people. Maybe I'll finally sleep for an entire night, you know, feeling safer." She looked down at her feet, Daryl could see, even in the darkness, that the small gesture of admitting her sleeping troubles had embarrassed her. A strong urge to reach out and touch her shoulder and tell her he would keep her safe coursed through Daryl's mind. Annoyed at himself, he pushed away the feeling and pointed a finger towards the array of tents across the meadow.

"Wha's wrong with campin' ova' there everyone else?" he asked.

"Because-" Andy started, but Daryl didn't let her finish.

"Look, woman. I already told ya', we don't need ya' here, we got all tha' protection we need. Me an' Merle do just fine on our own an' we sure as hell don't need no woman ta' look after." He grumbled, glancing back at his brother's tent and lowering his voice, "Pick up ya' shit and go camp with tha' otha' hens." He made a shooing gesture with his hand towards Andy.

She laughed again.

"I ain't jokin', woman!" he drawled, irritated.

"I like here just fine." Andy told Daryl staring into his eyes. He looked down at his boots. "You don't need to worry about protecting me, I can do that myself. And to be honest, I'm only pitching here to piss off Shane." She smirked. Daryl looked back up at Andy, confused. _Shane?_ He thought, and voiced the question.

"Shane?"

"Yep." Andy said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You know, Mr. Police Man Shane." She chuckled to herself, waiting for Daryl to join in. He didn't.

"Why are ya' tryin' to piss him off?" Daryl asked, inquisitive about the woman's intentions. Every thought of trying to send her away left his mind, and all he wanted to know was what Shane had done to her to make her angry. Daryl and Shane had never seen eye-to-eye since day one of this shit storm. Shane hated him and his brother, and Daryl had hated his authority. Especially in a world where rules no longer meant anything. Daryl waited for her answer eagerly and watched as she dug into her pocket for her pack of cigarettes. His eyes wondered over to her fingers as they plucked two from the packet. Andy reached over to Daryl to hand him one. Forgetting his qualms with the woman, he took the cigarette from her and put it to his lips.

Andy smiled as she watched his place the cigarette in his mouth. She lit her own cigarette and handed the lighter to Daryl, watching as he lit the end and inhaled deeply.

"Shane seems to think I should stay away from you and Merle." Andy told the man after releasing the smoke from her first drag. "He says you are both 'dangerous rednecks' and that I shouldn't be associating with people like yourselves. So here I am." She flashed a toothy grin, and watched Daryl's mouth twitch, in anger Shane's words, or pride in her actions, she couldn't tell.

"Hrmph." The man grumbled. "Fed up of tha' prick playin' dictator." He look a long drag of the cigarette.

"Yeah he's much better at just playing 'dick'." Andy replied, smiling. This time the twitch in Daryl's mouth was absolutely a nearly smile, he sputtered and coughed, smoke still in his lungs at the woman's joke. Everyone in the group (bar himself and Merle) worshiped the ground Shane walked on. It was refreshing to hear someone other than himself sharing his opinion on the man. Embarrassed at coughing his guts up, Daryl busied himself, putting the cigarette in between his teeth and picking up the flat tent.

Andy giggles and watched him as he began to insert one of the tent poles through the fabric loops. She smiled, analysing the man who made such an effort to keep up his tough exterior. Flicking her cigarette but to the ground, she walked over and helped him feed the pole through. Together they worked in silence. Andy, appreciating the man allowing her to stay and helping her set up, Daryl, afraid to say something stupid to the woman. He wasn't used to someone treating him as an equal and he _really_ wasn't used to someone like her wanting him or his brother's company.

When they were finished, Daryl stepped back to observe their work. Nodding his head at Andy he turned to walk back to his tent. His heart stopped as he noticed Merle's head watching him through his unzipped tent door. Making eye contact, the older brother beamed at the younger. Daryl threated Merle to stay quiet with a stern look, but Merle spoke up, making Daryl's face flush with heat.

"Bout time we got some tail around 'ere, good fuckin' job little bro'!" he laughed pushing his arms through the gap and sending Daryl a double thumbs up. Daryl kept his back to Andy, dreading the look that must have been on her face. "Welcome ta' camp Dixon!" he called, laughing. Daryl heard Andy laugh and call, "The pleasure is all mine, Merle!" and Daryl scurried into his tent so to not witness his brother replying with, "Tha' can be arranged, British!"

Andy chuckled, wondering why more people didn't get along with Merle; his intoxicating attitude and carefree jokes were enough to make you forget about the chaos that had descended on the planet. "Goodnight, Merle." She called as she saw his head disappear back in to his tent. She turned to say the same to Daryl, only to find he had already retired. She sighed, climbing in to her own tent.

Laying down upon the ground, she wiggled in to her sleeping bag and made herself comfortable. She thought of Daryl, just two thin layers of ten separating them. She wondered why he had helped her set up her tent here, when he had been so adamant on her moving away to sleep amongst the others. He was a hard nut to crack, and even harder to read. Another small sigh pushed through her lips, and before she knew it, she was asleep.

 _Hey guys!_

 _I really hope you enjoy this chapter. As you can see I've set the scene for Andy and Daryl's relationship to develop!_

 _If you have noticed, I have changed the rating of this story to M. This is because I realised I have been using a good sprinkling of swear words, and there will be sexual content… eventually._

 _As always, a huge thank you to anyone reading this story. If you have followed, favorited, or read, thank you so, so much._

 _I want to give a special thanks to Whokisses for my first review- thanks so much for your input! I am happy I seem to have the Southern twang down, but that comes with rewatching Walkind Dead for the thousandth time! I'm English, so it really pleases me to hear I'm doing the beautiful accent justice._

 _The latest the next chapter will be up will be by next Wednesday. Although, keep an eye out because I will write before then if I find the time! I already have the plot for the beginning of the next chapter down, so I will be writing that part right now, who knows, I might just have to carry on!_

 _If you are enjoying this story, please, please, please take the time to leave me a quick review. Let me know what you like, dislike, any improvements you think are needed, and feedback is good feedback!_

 _Also any favourites and follows are greatly appreciated._

 _Okay, I'm going to stop talking now… Thanks guys!_


	6. Chapter 5: WELCOME TO THE GROUP

**CHAPTER FIVE – WELCOME TO THE GROUP**

The heat caused Andy to stir in her slumber. She kicked herself free of her sleeping back, stretching each of her stiff limbs out in satisfaction. The bright light of the day seeped through the translucent material of the tent, making Andy squint when she opened her eyes. Light. That made a change. Andy groaned pleasurably savouring the feeling of her fruitful rest. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept through the night. She was used to waking up multiple times, sleeping in broken patterns, never feeling recuperated when she woke. Andy smiled, feeling revitalised. Sitting up, Andy pulled on her boots and unzipped her tent.

A booming voice greeted her, "Afta'noon, sunshine! Thought ya'd died in there!" Merle flashed her a toothy grin. Andy looked up to the sky, the sun was high. Had she really slept through the night and all morning? She gave Merle an apologetic look. "Don' worry, darlin'. I betcha neva' slept so well in ya' damn life. I don' blame ya', ya got the Dixon brothas lookin' afta' ya' now."

Andy smiled warmly at Merle, she couldn't imagine him being the man Shane had described. "I heard what ya' said last night." Merle said to Andy, walking closer to her and clapping her on the shoulder. "Ta' Daryl." He added. "'Bout us. We've spent weeks with this here group, but me an' ma' little brotha' have always been alone. Me? I don' care what them people think o' me. I don' care what anyone thinks. Bu' Daryl? Little Daryl, yeah he's differen'. He cares. He don' wan' no one ta' know, bu' he forgets tha' I know him betta' than he knows himself. He ain't eva' gonna' admit it, so I'll say it for him; I ain't neva' seen Daryl accept someone the way he accepted ya' last night. No one eva' gave a shit 'bout us growin' up, an' they don' give a shit now. It means a hell o' a fuckin' lot tha' you ain't judged him or me, ain't cared tha' we're just stupid rednecks. So thankya' fo' tha'." He clapped Andy on the shoulder again and turned to walk back towards the spot beside his tent he liked to sit. Andy remained stunned to silence, she had figured out in the space of twelve short hours that these men were worth more than the group knew. But she had never expected to hear one of the men open up in this way. And before she could finish her thought, Merle spoke again, in what she would learn to be a 'Merle fashion', "Naw' fuck off an' see if ya' can make ya'self useful, sweetheart." He laughed playfully, "An' this conversation neva' happened, don' wan' some British chick ruinin' ol' Merle's street cred now, do we?" he smiled fondly as Andy laughed. Merle was a breath of fresh air she hadn't realised she'd needed. Being deprived of human contact hadn't seemed to matter whilst she'd been on her own. All she knew in the last few weeks was survival. And now a door had opened in this new, fucked up world. A door she had every interest in keeping open.

Andy had spent the afternoon getting to know the group. She quickly noticed the order of things and she turned to see Andrea walking towards her, voicing Andy's opinion as if the woman had read her mind, "It's like we've gone back sixty years." She said, smirking, "The men do the men's jobs, the women do the women's jobs."

"I guess everyone has a job to do." Andy told the woman.

"Yeah." Andrea nodded, "But I didn't spend my days cleaning up after men before this shit show, I sure as hell 'ain't gonna' start now."

Andy laughed, "Yeah good point!" she eyed the woman with curiosity. "So, what _did_ you do before this?"

"Accountant." Replied Andrea dryly. "Nothing special, paid the bills. You?" she asked Andy.

"I worked in a bike shop I Atlanta." Andy explained smiling, "And I used to help look after my parent's camping and hunting shop when I had the time." Her smile turned sad at the thought of her parents, she silently thanked Andrea when the woman diverted away from the topic of Andy's parents.

"So that's actually _your_ bike?" she asked doubtfully, nodding up at Andy's Iron.

"Yeah, that's my baby!" Andy mused. "I've been so lucky to keep hold of the thing this entire time. I was keeping it hidden when I wasn't riding, under bushes, rubbish, that kind of thing. I've come close to losing it a couple of times."

Andrea wore an impressed expression on her face. "Haven't seen a vehicle _not_ stolen in a while!" the pair chuckled together.

The afternoon grew older and Andy had managed to get around some more members of the group. She helped Carol deliver clothes to tents, she discussed books with Dale (and even managed to borrow his copy of the Hobbit), she spoke to Glenn some more about old life in Atlanta, to Carl and Sophia about the games they play, and even briefly to Lori about the woman's son.

Andy soon made her way back to Andrea, who was not discussing fishing tactics with her sister, Amy. She soon realised that she enjoyed the company of the two women. She decided to reign in her judgement of the women of this group. It was clear that Andrea was far from Lori or Carol, far from the domesticated housewives Andy pictured the others as. She lounged on the grass, listening blissfully to Amy and Andrea speak about fishing. Andy closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the last light of the Georgia sun and let her mind wonder. She hadn't felt the pleasure of relaxation in a long time, the sweet feeling of a smile on her lips. The world around her was chaos, but these people Andy barely knew made everything better. The human contact she had no idea she really needed had taken a huge weight from her shoulders. She laid back on her elbows and allowed the feeling to wash over her.

It had been a long day.

Daryl trudged through the woods panting, a doe slung snugly across his shoulders. The loss of the last deer had angered Daryl, but he had forgotten his mood upon discovering Andy. She had somehow allowed Daryl to forget about the huge meal he had almost brought back to camp, and it annoyed him. He set out at first light that morning to reclaim his prize. He'd spent all morning, and all afternoon tracking the doe. She had ran him in circles, and in to a few walkers. Daryl had dealt with the dead silently. As Daryl followed the tracks of the deer, he had taken out anything that moved. He had filled up his make shift sash with squirrels.

He neared the treeline and a flutter of nerves stirred in his stomach. Shaking his head at the feeling, he paced through the trees in to the clearing, hoisting the doe higher on his shoulders. His eyes scanned the field and watched as everyone resumed their activities. He could have guessed no one would bat an eyelid. He scoffed under his breath and looked over to where Andrea and Amy sat. Daryl stopped in his tracks when he saw a pair of wide eyes. Andy looked at him, and his doe in shock. He felt embarrassed, he doubted she thought he was capable, maybe she thought he had had a lucky shot. He felt his pulse rise as he watched her lips pull up in to an impressed smirk. She had sat upright and tapped Andrea, who had turned around and joined in at staring at Daryl with awe. Daryl flushed a hot red and forced his legs to work. He wasn't sure what to do when women looked at him, especially two at a time. Daryl made it to his tent without looking back. He dropped the carcass to the ground, and ducked in to his tent to retrieve his filleting knife. He got to work on the creature.

"You're still looking." Andrea pointed out to Andy, smirking slightly and nodding towards where Daryl sat, backs to them, butchering the deer. Her and Andrea were sat cross legs together whilst Andrea stroked a sleeping Amy's blonde hair.

Andy blushed. "I'm looking at the deer." She told Andrea, still facing the hunter.

"Yeah, and I'm Miss America." Retorted Andrea sarcastically.

"You could be Miss America." Andy told Andrea, smiling warmly at the woman.

Andrea replied with a snort, "Nice try, but quit trying to change the subject. You're still looking."

"At the deer, yes."

"No."

" _Yes"_

"Please spare me the bullshit, Andy." Andrea said firmly. "Life is too short. You can't bullshit a bullshitter, you like him." She nudged Andy with her elbow, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

"I don't even know him, Andrea." Andy assured the woman, shaking her head.

Andrea looked over at Daryl, "Well, I've never noticed before, but he isn't half bad." She raised her eyebrows, studying the man. As if he had heard the women, Daryl had turned to look in their direction. He had quickly turned his focus back on to his doe shorty after making eye contact with the women. They both giggled.

"Go talk to him." Andrea said, nudging Andy.

"Come off, Andrea, this isn't high school." Andy laughed sticking her tongue out at the woman.

Andy leg back down on her elbows and continued to watch as Daryl cut gracefully through the meat he had caught.

Her small bubble was soon popped as she noticed Shane marching across the field to wards Daryl. Curious, she narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Daryl." Shane spoke, making Daryl turn around.

"Yeah?" he replied, soon going back to his deer.

"I need to talk to 'ya about Andy." Shane spoke seriously now, determination in his voice.

"Wha' 'bout 'er?" Daryl asked, curious, now dropping his knife and moving towards the man.

"Leave her be." Shane said, puffing his chest our and folding his arms.

Daryl made to square up to Shane, "'Scuse me?!" he growled. The two men stood face to face, bumping foreheads.

"Now, now, fellas!" called Merle's voice behind Daryl. He strode between the men, placing a hand on Shane's shoulder "Why don' we take a step-" he shoved Shane "-back." Shane spat in anger.

"Getcha' hand of me Merle, this ain't none of your business." Making Merle laugh.

"Ain't none of ma' business?" he asked Shane, pointing at his own chest. "Anyone who thinks they can lay a finga' on ma' brotha' is ma' business, cop." The smile faded from Merle's face, Daryl knew this couldn't end well.

"Now see 'ere, offica', jus' 'cause this new lady ain't got no interest in ya' don't mean ya' can march aroun' the camp bein' bitta' 'bout it. Na' I know ya' pissed at tha' return of ya' buddy cop boy, and now ya ain't getting' ya' cookies from the bossy bitch no more, and ah can see ya' jus' tryin' ta find 'notha place ta' get ya' dick wet, but it ain't 'ere. Ya' come 'ere an' tell me or my brotha' what ta' do 'gain, I won' be usin' my words." He chuckled at Shane's poker face, and made his way back to his tent.

Daryl returned to his deer, aware of Shane's eyes still boring in to his back, "'Ya 'eard tha' man." Daryl said, not looking back.

Andy watched the three men from the distance, she was sure there was some sort of disagreement. She knew Shane disliked the two brothers and tried to avoid them at all costs. Her stomach dropped with anxiety, worrying that the conversation Shane was attempting to have with the men was about her. She swallowed hard. Andrea shook her head and grinned, "Boys will be boys." She remarked, going back to stroking her sisters ashy locks.

Andy didn't take her eyes away from the scene as she tried desperately to work out what was going on, she sighed. All she wanted to know was whether Shane really was talking about her, and whether or not she was being stupid for thinking it was all about her. Shane's next actions confirmed Andy's suspicions. She looked on as Merle disappeared back in to his tent and Daryl resumed butchering the deer he had caught. She saw Shane huff out his chest territorially, then turn on his heel and begin marching back towards the rest of the camp. Andy quickly averted her eyes, worried Shane would know she had been watching. She peeked up from under her bangs and saw him heading towards her, Andrea and Amy. Taking a calming breath, she smiled at Shane and went to speak, "Sha-"

He cut her off. "'Ya can have ya' shit back. Dixon has it all still, welcome to the group." He said, stiffly, "Talk to Lori 'bout findin' ya'self a proper job, ya' can't laze around in the sun all day, y'know." Leaving Andy stammering on her words, he was gone. All she could muster was a strong bewildered expression, and she turned to Andrea, eyebrows raised.

"Is he always so abrasive?" she asked. Amy sat up, rubbing her eyes, and she replied to Andy.

"Yes." She said, smiling sweetly. "He is a strong leader, but he has a rather temperamental attitude."

"Ah. Well I best avoid confrontation with him, I guess." Andy told the women. They both nodded in reply.

"It's probably because you're camped over by Daryl and Merle." Andrea chimed in. "Shane doesn't like the men, and I have to admit, no one else is much of a fan either. I'm actually really surprised they've let you pitch up next to them." Andrea responded.

"They are good men." Andy told the sisters, "People just need to give them a chance." She cast a glance towards the hunter preparing his prize for the entire group to share and smiled, "I have a bow to reclaim." She smiled at the women, and headed off towards Daryl, nerves swelling in her stomach.

 _I am so sorry for the delay, I know this chapter is two days late, I have had a very busy couple of days and didn't have the free time I normally have this week!_

 _Hope you liked the interaction with other characters, it will go straight back in with Daryl and Andy next chapter._

 _I will be writing again on Wednesday at the latest, possibly before if I can find the time!_

 _Andy reviews would be so helpful, what do you want more of? What do you love? What do you not love?_

 _Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this so far, and who has been kind enough to follow/favourite this story!_


	7. Chapter 6- CAN I STAY AND WATCH?

**CHAPTER 6 – CAN I STAY AND WATCH?**

Each cut of the knife Daryl made with a grunt. Who was he kidding? Bring back days' worth of food for the group? Still a worthless son of a bitch. Still the same fuckin' redneck piece of trash. Figures. He told himself it was only Shane, but only Shane often spoke for the entire group, his voice and opinions were everyone's. Daryl spat on the floor. A concoction of hate, anger, shame and rage bubbled in the pit of his stomach. Thousands of thoughts whizzed through his head, things he had wished he had said to Shane, things he wished his older brother hadn't have had to say for him. Daryl was strong in this new world. He could hunt, drive most land vehicles, and kill a walker. Probably another man if it came to it, but this group? This cluster of strangers trying to live in a world they were not cut out for? These people still stuck in the old world, with their old stereotypes, judgements and opinions? Daryl couldn't hack it. The words he always wanted to say never came out. He kept them in, grunted, frowned or swore to get himself out of any situation. Or of course, Merle would step in and make him look even less of a man.

Deep down in Daryl's mind, a tiny voice told him that he wanted to belong. To prove he wasn't that waste of space redneck he was painted as, that he wasn't a dangerous man, and that he was capable of caring. He did care. Daryl spent most of his time alone pushing that voice away. That voice gets you killed in this world. Dog eat dog.

Daryl fumbled with the knife, his brain overworking. He worked through a tough muscle of the beast, nicking his knuckle in the process. "Ah fuck!" he grumbled, sucking the wound.

"Need a hand?" Daryl jumped, spinning around.

"God damn it, woman, ya' gotta' sneak up on a man when he's usin' a knife?!" he yelled, frustrated. Walls were up.

Andy chuckled softly, "Looks like you cut yourself before I made you jump. Here." She moved towards Daryl, fishing in her bag. She dropped to her knees beside the man, much to close for his liking and pulled out a small roll of gauze. She reached for Daryl's hand, but he swiftly pulled it away, uncomfortable.

"Come here." Andy told the man, motioning with her hand for him to place his within hers.

"I'm fine." Daryl huffed, hiding his hand away. Andy smirked, ' _stubborn bastard',_ she thought.

"Daryl." She commanded, raising her eyebrows, snatching Daryl's hand from his lap. He grunted disapprovingly as she began to wrap the gauze around his wound, applying pressure. Daryl kept his head hung, he stole a glance at Andy, and kept his gaze, watching her concentration as she fixed him up. This was a first for Daryl. He had never had someone tending to this kind of need, his Ma had never patched up and kissed a wound Daryl had had as a child, his brother had always told him to 'man the fuck up', and his Pa, well half the time, he had caused Daryl's pain himself. Watching the woman bite her bottom lip as she concentrated on her task, the feel of her small fingers holding his hand up, how she was gentle in her work, made Daryl's face flush. He felt embarrassed and awkward, and he could feel his body temperature rising. Conscious Andy could feel the heat in his hands, he stole his rough hand away from her soft ones as soon as she finished tying the bandage.

Not looking back at the woman, Daryl picked his knife back up and once again began to cut in to the deer. He hoped that if he didn't speak, Andy would leave, but as he continued to work away on the deer, he realised she was watching him. Agitated, Daryl dropped the knife and shot an angry glare at her. "You need somethin'?" he demanded.

"I was just gonna watch." Andy said, pointing at the animal. "I need more practice butchering. Your squirrels were done perfectly, I can't seem to get a decent yield when I do it. I leave too much on the bone. Just wanted to watch your technique." Her words surprised Daryl for more than one reason. One, this woman was actually interested in what he was doing. Sure he had seen her shot on the animal when he first met her in the woods, but he had thought it a lucky shot. Two, she seemed to actually give a shit about the new required skills demanded of mankind in this new world and most importantly, three; she had appreciated something he had done for the group. She had already thanked him once, and now she was complimenting him. Daryl bit his tongue, at a loss for words, he raked his hand through his hair, still aware of the uncomfortable temperature of his body that he hoped the Georgia heat would mask.

"Can I stay and watch?" Andy prompted.

"I guess." Daryl mumbled, barely audible. Daryl cast his eyes back to the carcass of the animal when he saw Andy break into a happy smile. He felt heat rise to his cheeks and he somehow felt more uncomfortable than he did before.

Andy studied the man as he worked. She watched how his hands knew exactly what to do with the knife, how his eyes remained squinted in concentration and how his tongue subconsciously crept out to lick his top lip when he figured out his next move. Both remained silent as Daryl worked. Andy lounged on her back, propped up on her elbows, watching the man intently. He didn't look up once, but she didn't mind. She was immersed. She didn't take her eyes away from the man until he dropped the knife and wiped his blood stained hands on his jeans. She looked down and realised he had finished. Each cut of the meat had been removed from the waste expertly. She blinked, wondering when he had done it all. Realisation struck Andy, she hadn't even watched what he was doing. Hell, if he gave her a squirrel to prepare, she would still do a shoddy job. Had she really just spent the last half an hour looking at Daryl? She had…

"Nice job." She told him, plucking blades of grass from the ground, giving her sweaty hands something to do.

"Ain't nothin'." Daryl replied, an expression that looked to Andy as one a person who wasn't used to receiving compliments might wear.

"I'm serious." She told him, smiling, "There is literally no waste, it's a damn good job."

"Thanks, I guess…" Daryl mumbled, confused.

Andy smiled again at his confusion, it was clear he didn't know what he was worth.

The pair sat in silence, Andy felt the awkward tension build between them, she racked he brain for something to say, and remembered why she walked over in the first place.

"Hey Daryl, Shane said I could have my bow back." She said, sitting up.

Daryl scoffed, "Pfft, Shane said so did he? Best 'ad give it back then."

Andy grinned, elbowing Daryl's arm, he looked startled at the contact, which made Andy's grin spread wider. "Come off it Daryl, I know I've only been here five minutes, but five minutes in plenty enough time for me to figure out Shane is an asshole." The corners of Daryl's lips twitched, threatening a smile. "Plus," she added, "I feel naked without my weapon, I'm damn glad we haven't had any of the dead wonder in to the camp." Daryl looked away again, and began playing with his shoelaces, Andy began to laugh, a strong hunch telling her the words she had used in her last sentence had rendered him speechless.

"Hey." She said, poking Daryl on the arm, receiving another dark glare from the man, "How about a smoke, and you reunite me with my bow?" she pulled her cigarettes from her pocket, flipped the lid and held the packet out towards Daryl. He took one, glad for something to do with his hands.

"Ya' gonna' run out of them fast if ya' keep sharin' with me." He said, putting the cigarette to his mouth.

"Hey, the dead outnumber us by a long shot, they haven't got any reason to be smoking, we'll find some more, and plus, now you owe me three. I'll remember that when you find some." She smirked at the man, plucking out a cigarette of her own and lighting the tip. "Now, where's my bow?"

The pair stood and Andy followed Daryl to his tent. She watched him as he bent down to crawl inside to retrieve her weapon, and she couldn't help biting her lip at the picture. She turned away, feeling guilty for looking. Daryl emerged from his tent, gripping Andy's bow in one hand, her quiver in the other, cigarette between his teeth. "'Ere 'ya go." He said, passing the weapon to her.

"At last, my arm is complete again!" she said, holding the bow upward.

"What?" Daryl asked, puzzled.

Andy blushed, embarrassed, "It's from Sweeny Todd…" she mumbled.

"Who tha' fuck is Sweeny Todd?" he asked, lips twitching once again.

"It's a film, doesn't matter." Andy lowered her bow, blushing.

Daryl chuckled briefly, "Nerd." He muttered, walking back towards the meat he had prepared.

Andy smiled at the hint of humour, maybe the man was capable of a smile once in a while. She followed Daryl offering her help taking the meat back to camp.

"Nah, ya' don' need ta' do that." Daryl growled in his southern drawl, all humour gone and his familiar stubborn tone setting in.

"It'll only take one trip if I help." Andy protested.

"Don' worry 'bout it, Andy." He told her, picking up the cuts and placing them in to one of the two available buckets. Deciding not to argue with the man, she took her stand silently as she started to fill the second bucket.

"Ya' funeral." Daryl muttered under his breath. Andy stood up, placing her hands on her hips.

"Why?" she asked him, curious.

"Nuthin', jus' fill tha' bucket." He told her, annoyed at himself for saying anything.

"Hey, no, Daryl!" Andy said, raising her voice, making the man look towards her, "Why did you say 'your funeral'?"

Daryl seemed uncomfortable at the female dominance of the conversation, and he gave in.

"Ya' not supposed ta' be hangin' 'roud tha' rifraf." He muttered, looking at the floor.

Andy dropped her arms from her waist and placed her hand on Daryl's shoulder, making him look up, "And who's the rifraf?" she asked with a sad expression.

"Who da' ya' think?" Daryl demanded, furrowing his brow angrily. He bent back down and continued to throw meat in to the bucket with force.

"Does this have something to do with Shane?" she asked. Daryl didn't reply, so she pushed again, "Is this what he was talking to you and Merle about earlier? I saw him over here."

"Wha' does it matta' anyway?" Daryl replied, defeated.

"It matters if what he said was about who I can and cannot spend my time with!" she gushed, "What has my life, or yours for that matter, have ANYTHING to do with HIM?!" she threw the last piece of meat in to her bucket and heaved it off the ground, "Come on, Daryl." She told him, a plan forming in her head, "We have some deer to deliver."

Daryl watched in surprise as Andy picked the heavy bucket from the ground and began walking towards the rest of the camp with a purpose. Confused at the female, he lifted his bucket and followed after her.

They reached the camp, where the group sat around the fire Glenn was tending to. The sun had started to set, and the group had gathered waiting on Daryl to bring them their food. Andy reached the group before Daryl dropping the bucket to the ground, and it landed with a thud. Daryl caught up with her, placing his bucket next to the first one and took in the scene. Everyone was looking at Andy, and her expression was like a raging fire. And now he had shown up next to her, the accusing looks were directed at him. Shane stood up, surveying them both. Seeing Andy's hateful expression, he began to speak, directing his words to Daryl, making a very incorrect assumption.

"What have ya' done ta' make her upset, Dixon?" he demanded glaring at Daryl.

"Hey-" Daryl started, ready to tell the man to back off in a colourful way, but Andy's hand appeared on Daryl's chest, cutting him off.

"No, Daryl." She told him gently, turning her head towards Shane. She held out a pointed finger and walked toward the man. "I'll tell you what he has done to make me upset!" she raged. "He told me that _you_ " she stabbed her finger on Shane's collarbone, "have been trying to dictate who I am allowed to spend my time with! I told you last night, firmly, that I was in control of what I did with my life, and you thought you had the right to tell Daryl to stay away from me because you thought I wasn't capable of making my own decisions?! Here's the deal, buddy; you might be the top fucking dog here, and these people may well allow you to decide the rules and guidelines, but you sure as hell are not the boss of me! If I want to talk to Daryl or Merle, I bloody will, I don't need your permission. Understood?" Daryl was stunned, as was the rest of the group, and she stood waiting for Shane's reply, her chest heaving.

Shane remained silent, lost for words, "I'll take that as a yes." Andy told the startled man.

She made to walk away, motioning Daryl to follow, "Come on, Daryl." She said. Daryl raised his eyebrows and exhaled, not sure if he was impressed or scared of the woman. Daryl made to walk with Andy, but she stopped again. "No, wait." She told him, spinning around to face the group again, they all shared a frightened expression, worried she was going to direct her anger towards them. She swept her eyes across all of them, scoffing. "Oh, and enjoy your fucking deer. No need to thank the man that went out in to the woods _alone_ to hunt it to keep you guys fed for the next few days, I already have." She laughed, turning to Daryl, "Can you imagine what they would be eating tonight without a hunter? Probably each other, because they'd be dead right now!" and with that, Daryl watched her turn on her heel and storm back to their tents. Not able to think of anything to say, Daryl turned and walked in the same direction. With her feet ahead, Daryl smiled to himself. Pride swelled within him, Andy had just put Daryl before anyone else in the entire group. Another foreign feeling. The only person that came close was Merle, and he still didn't seem to hesitate putting himself first.

Placing his hands in his pockets, Daryl wondered back to the tents with a new found sense of happiness.

But happiness didn't last long in this world, and he squinted in the dusk of the night at two lumbering figures approaching the spot Andy had slumped down on, cigarette in hand, paying no attention.

 _Dun, dun, dunnnn!_

 _Guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter._

 _I felt pretty bad about the delay in the last chapter, so I decided to bust this one out tonight as a treat!_

 _I still plan to write on Wednesday as well, so you don't have to wait too long for the walker action!_

 _As always, any reviews would mean the world to me. Your opinions, ideas or questions will help this story along!_

 _Thanks to those who have favorited and/or followed this story. If you like what you read, do the same!_

 _Thanks guys!_


	8. Chapter 7 - DON'T LET GO OF THAT ONE

**Chapter 7 – DON'T LET GO OF THAT ONE**

Shit. _Shit._ SHIT. "ANDY!" the scream escaped Daryl's mouth like projectile vomit and before he could even think he was running. He saw the woman's head whip round to look at him over her left shoulder and Daryl thrust his finger in a pointing motion towards the now way too close walkers to the right. "WALKERS!" he yelled to her. She span right, pulling her bow from across her shoulder with one hand and an arrow from her quiver with the other. The dull orange glow of the forgotten cigarette glimmered at her feet.

Daryl ignored the yells of the group behind him as he ran as fast as his legs would allow. Daryl hated himself for his arrogance, why did he and Merle feel the need to pitch so far away? He saw Andy pull her bow back to her cheek and rush her shot, the arrow sailed into the shoulder of the closest walker, making it stumble briefly. Daryl heard footsteps running behind him, the undistinguished words Shane yelled to the other men didn't register to him.

Andy scrambled backwards, sending her arrows spilling across the floor. Her movements were clumsy, the shock attack had rendered her helpless. The dead man fell upon her body and Andy screamed, one hand locked under the decomposing jaw of her attacker, the other searching, clawing desperately for a fallen arrow. She pushed against the rotting flesh of the dead man's neck as it snapped its teeth furiously. Her fingers sunk in to the corpse's throat, the dead man pushing against her hand further in to its flesh, it's teeth inches away from her. The panic that had set in had now evolved to full blown fear. Fear for her life, fear for her pain, and fear for leaving the people she had finally found. Giving up on searching blindly for an arrow she slammed her hand on to the dead man's forehead, and she strained, pushing against it with all of her might. Squeezing her eyes shut, she thought of her parents. Her beautiful Mother, her wonderful Papa. She tried to block the hungry groan of the dead man, the snapping of teeth that grew only louder…

She shut her mind down. This was it. The end. She had not survived. The groaning stopped. The snapping teeth deceased to snap. Her hands remained in mid-air, pushing at nothing. Her toes curled, eyes clamped together, teeth clenched, chest rising and falling with each ragged breath she took.

Was she dead? She didn't know. She didn't know anything, she was unable to move. Frozen in an eternal looming fear. Of what? She did not know.

Her body shook, but she could not feel it. Tears leaked from her closed eyes, unaware to her. Everything has stopped working.

BANG.

Her tense body jumped, a defeated sob spilled from her lips. In turn, each sense came back; muffled footsteps echoed in her ears, and the sound of voices she could not understand filled her head. Her arms found the ground and she could feel the grass between her shaking fingers. The evening wind whipped her face, the smell of the fresh air became apparent to her. Her mouth registered the sharp taste of iron, blood trickled down her lip. It took longer to see. She did not want to open her eyes, for fear of what may be there. She considered never opening them again, but instead keeping them closed forever, never having to find out.

But alas, she opened them.

Daryl watched as Andy threw her hand in to the walker's head, trying with all her might to keep it back. The second figure was approaching, but was not his priority. Daryl had found his way to Andy faster than he thought himself capable of. Her blood-curdling scream had wrenched at Daryl insides, somehow. He did not know why, but the primal instinct to save her had overtaken him, so he had ran.

Throwing himself to the ground by the struggling pair, Daryl grabbed the coat of the walker with both hands and pulled it backwards with such a force, the thing flew through the air and smashed to the ground, breaking both of its legs. Daryl felt a thin piece of metal beneath his fingers, and grasped at it, instinctively. He raised his arm, one of Andy's arrows in hand, and forced the tip deep into the walker's head. Daryl kept hold of the corpse, breathing rapidly. Part of him wanted the thing to come back to life so he could kill it all over again because it had tried to take Andy away from him. Another part of him was not sure why he felt like this.

BANG.

The aggressive crack of the gunshot brought Daryl back to his senses and he whipped his head around just in time to see the body of the second walker fall to the ground, its hand slumping over Daryl's boot. Shane stood 10 feet away, still holding his gun at arm's length, barrel smoking. Daryl looked in to the man's eyes, unable to decide which emotion he felt. With no words ready on is tongue, Daryl simply nodded at the man, not breaking eye contact. Shane went to speak, when a heart-breaking sob broke the silence. Both men took themselves to Andy without thought. Daryl watched the woman shake, her breathing uneven and fast, and her body tense.

"She's havin' a panic attack" Daryl told Shane without removing his eyes from Andy, making to lean over the woman's face. He placed a hand on the ground either side of her face and opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced before he had even made a sound when one of the woman's arms came up and punched him in the temple. The unexpected blow caused Daryl to fall flat on top of Andy's body, crushing her underneath his full weight. "Fuck sake" he growled, wincing at the pain. He scrambled off from the woman's body, face flushing at the extreme close contact. Daryl pinned Andy's flailing arms and shouted at the woman, meanwhile Shane chuckled to himself behind watching him fight off the punches.

"Damn, girl, ya' already hit me once! Naw calm down!" Daryl shouted, "It's me, its Daryl! Ya' havin' a panic attack, ya' need ta' take deep breaths! Copy me." Daryl began to inhale and exhale, loudly and slowly. He watched as her wild eyes changed, a look of recognition appearing there.

"Daryl?" she managed.

"Yeah, naw breathe."

Daryl continued to inhale and exhale slowly, and did so until he had felt the tension leave her body. He let go of her arms and they remained sprawled above her body. Andy shook her head, and Daryl saw the glaze of tears threatening to fall. He sat up, temped to leave it to Shane if she was going to begin crying, but when he looked around, he noticed Shane had already began walking the perimeter of camp with Rick, no doubt checking for any other breaches.

Daryl turned his attention back to Andy as she let out a long breath, and sat upright wiping her eyes with a part of her shirt the walker hadn't managed to soil.

"I'm so sorry." She spoke, disappointment in her tone.

"What have ya' gotta be sorry for?" Daryl asked her, examining the woman's discouraged expression.

"I- that's- that's never happened to me before. I've never shut down like that, I've always been ready, prepared to fight at all times, and I don't know what happened to me. I feel so mad at myself. I could have been killed because I couldn't handle two walkers, what the fuck." She put her head in her hand and pinched her brow.

"'Appens." Daryl told her, "Ya' ain't dead."

"Only because of you." She said softly, turning her head towards the man, looking in to his eyes intently with her dark blue ones through her lashes. Daryl looked away, unsure of what to say back. He had saved her, but he wasn't sure why. He had saved people before, he had shot plenty of walkers for the group. Taken out a walker sneaking up on Carol, taken out two walkers that had backed Glenn up in to a corner in Atlanta, amongst other occasions. But the difference was that he had saved those people because he could, what was the point allowing someone to die when you can save them? He had saved Andy because he had _needed_ to. An animalistic surge had taken over his body in that moment, and all he cared about was keeping her alive. He would have given his own life, and he had no idea why. He brought his thumb to his teeth and began to chew on the skin, confused and uncomfortable.

Andy smiled sadly as Daryl turned his head away from her.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you." She told the man. His eyes remained looking forward.

"Ain't nothin'." He told her, and she remembered him giving the same reply last time she had thanked him; when he had helped her set her tent up.

"It's something to me." She told Daryl. She leant towards him, placing one hand on his shoulder, and placing a quick and gentle kiss on his cheek. "You're a good man, Daryl."

She stood up, giving the man some space. She had felt his entire body tense under her touch. She moved back towards the spot she had dropped her arrows, and attempted to gather them in the darkness. She had hoped Daryl would say something, and when he didn't she walked towards her tent without looking back. She decided she would gather the other arrows in the morning. She felt the heat in her cheeks rise as she comprehended what she had just done. Although a small gesture of gratitude to most, it was clear by the way Daryl had reacted that he was not used to any such affection. She sighed, pushing her worry away. She had lived another hour, and it was thanks to him that she had. She didn't regret thanking him the way she did, and when she reached her tent, she climbed in, suddenly exhausted. She pulled off her blood covered jeans and shirt and threw them in to the corner. Zipping her tent, she shrugged off her boots, pulled on a nearby sweater, crawled into her sleeping bag and tried to surrender to sleep. She tired, and failed. Sighing, she sat up in her sleeping bag. She crossed her legs and lent forward on her knees.

She allowed her mind to wander, and soon found herself thinking about Daryl again. He was abrasive, mysterious, shy and outgoing all at the same time. She had never been so puzzled by a man in her entire life, but something about him allured her, and she needed to feed her curiosity.

Daryl raked his hand through his hair and sighed. He had wanted to call out to her, to tell her to come back and sit with him, but he didn't possess the courage. What would he have to say to her? Nothing. Nothing at all.

Daryl stretched his arms out on the grass and his fingertips made contact with an arrow. He picked it up, twiddling it in his fingers. Without thinking, he got on to his knees and began feeling around in the dark for others. He had gathered eight arrows, and he felt for a ninth. He swept his hands along the grass around him, and his fingers brushed against an object. Picking it up, he realised Andy had dropped her cigarettes in the struggle with the walker. He stood up, meaning to walk to her tent and give her belongings back, but he remained stuck to the spot, unable to move. Defeated, he slumped back down on to the grass and plucked a cigarette from the packet. _I can owe her four,_ he thought, as he placed it between is teeth and dug in his pocket for a lighter. He felt a little guilty for taking a cigarette from her, but the rush of nicotine that swept through his body when he lit the end washed the feeling away. He blew the smoke above his head, thinking about what she had said to him. " _It means something to me."_ She had told him in an affectionate purr. " _You're a good man, Daryl."_ Daryl pushed the hair from his face once more, shaking his head. Why was he so awkward? Sometimes he envied his brother for his confidence in speaking to women. He would have known what to say, even if it was something 'Merle-ish'. Daryl thought anything would have been better than the silence he had replied with. He'd not even had the balls to turn and look at the woman. Maybe if he had, she would have kissed him on the lips…

"Fuck!" Daryl growled, cursing himself for how he was feeling. He hated himself for the thoughts screaming at him in his head. He felt drowned in foreign emotion. What was wrong with him? He was sat here, in the middle of a fucking zombie apocalypse, the fucking stuff of video games, and there he was, thinking about _some fucking girl_.

He groaned at the conflicting voices within his head.

"Daryl." Daryl turned and stood to make out Shane's silhouette in the darkness. "I think we should talk." He said, motioning towards the camp, where there was more light. In any other circumstances, Daryl would have told Shane where to go, but he followed the man, praying for anything to keep his mind from the headache of thinking about Andy.

They walked toward the fire in the centre of the camp, and Daryl realised everyone had gone to bed. Aside from Rick, who was sat upon the roof of the RV, binoculars in hand, the camp was empty. Shane made to sit at the fire, in one of the camp chairs, and Daryl gingerly did the same. He was sure this talk was going to be another warning to stay away from Andy, and suddenly wondered why he had bothered coming. Daryl was sure Shane thought the walker attack had somehow been his fault. However, with his next words, Shane surprised him.

"I owe ya' an apology." said Shane. Daryl raised his eyebrows in astonishment, taking the last drag of his cigarette, he flicked it in to the fire and raised his head to meet the other man's eyes.

"Ya' jus' lookin' out for tha' group." Mumbled Daryl, perplexed. Shane did owe Daryl an apology, he knew that, but for once, he didn't feel like an argument.

"Where was Merle tonight?" Shane asked Daryl.

"Merle?" scoffed Daryl, "Lazy son ova' bitch is probably passed out in 'is tent. Probably didn' even realise there as a party goin' on outside."

"And that's exactly why I owe you an apology." Shane told him.

"What? Ya' wanna say sorry ta' me 'cause ma' brotha' is sleepin'?" asked Daryl, confused at the topic.

"No." said Shane, "I wanna say sorry to ya' because you ain't him. Ya' were ready tonight, Daryl. Ya' always have been. What Andy said to me earlier, I needed to hear it. I've been disregarding you as a person just because of where you were before this all happened. I've been paintin' you as a criminal all this time just 'cause ya' brother was one. For that I'm sorry."

Daryl was shocked, he nodded at the man and mumbled a thanks.

"I also wanna' say thanks. Not just me, this is from everyone. Thank you for everythin' ya' do for the group, Dixon. The food, the protection, the tracking. Andy was right again. We'd be fucked without ya'. Ya' just as much a part of this group as much as I am, man." Shane admitted.

Daryl made to get up, Shane declaring his apology had made him feel like he was finally a part of the group, but it was damn uncomfortable too.

"Wait." Shane called to Daryl before he could stand. Daryl looked at the man once more.

"Mm?" he questioned.

"Andy." Shane stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Don't let go of that one." Shane stood up and clapped Daryl on the shoulder. He walked off towards the RV, climbed the ladder and sat with Rick, leaving Daryl, once more, alone with his overthinking brain.

"The fuck is up with everyone t'night?" he mumbled to himself, pushing himself up from the chair, picking Andy's arrows and cigarettes up from the floor. He walked back to the tents slowly, mulling Shane's last sentence around in his head. _Don't let go of that one._

Daryl knew he should have been thinking about Shane's apology. The group's apology! That was something he had never expected to hear from any of them, especially Shane. He knew he should have been itching to tell Merle how he had told Daryl they were worth something (even if he hadn't really said Merle was). But again, all he could think about were those words. _Don't let go of that one._

What did he mean _don't let go_? She wasn't his old lady, she was her own woman. Independent and brave. Daryl thought- Daryl _knew_ he wouldn't be a worthy match for her, even in this world. She was a city girl who would have strolled past Daryl without a second glance in the world before, what was the difference now apart from the dead inhabiting the Earth?

" _If she wouldn' look atcha' twice, then why did she kiss ya'?"_ A voice said quietly in the back of Daryl's mind. Daryl's face contorted with confusion. He was too unfamiliar with the thought process of women. " _She probably just pities you."_ Another voice said. And this was the voice Daryl went with. Daryl sighed and realised he had stopped outside of Andy's tent.

Frowning, Daryl stood there for how long, he didn't know. He stared at the tent door, chewing the skin on his thumb, gripping the arrows and cigarettes tightly. After a stretch of time that felt like a day, he bent down and placed the cigarettes and arrows outside the door to Andy's tent.

"Don' wanna' see ya' man, ge' a grip." He hissed to himself quietly, and he walked quickly to his tent, pulled open the door and zipped himself away from the world for the rest of the night.

Andy twirled a shoelace between her fingers. She had not been able to sleep, although she knew she needed to. She was tired, but her brain was working in overdrive thinking about Daryl and the events of the evening, and how he had rejected her advance. " _Advance?_ " she asked herself thinking back to when she had pecked his cheek, shyly. " _No. Just a thank you."_ She answered her own question, silently, though unsure. She wished he had turned, wish she could have shared some sort of moment with the man that had saved her life twice. Technically, she had saved his the first time they had met, but he had saved her mentally, emotionally. Brought her back to humanity, given her a purpose. But it seems he didn't want that of her. She could not blame him, they barely knew each other. But somehow she felt like she had known him forever. Something about the man made her feel nervous with excitement. All she knew is that she wanted to be around him more, however that may be, as friends, allies, or something else.

A breeze picked up and caused the walls of her tent to rustle. She thought she had heard footsteps, but she shook the feeling of anxiety off. Lying on her back, she stared in to the blackness, toying with the shoelace.

"Don' wanna' see ya' man, ge' a grip."

The Southern drawl shocked her, making her sit upright. She had barely heard him, but she was sure that's what he had said…

Andy leaned forward, hovering at the door of her tent, hastily trying to decide whether or not to open it. Shaking her hands and exhaling, she pulled the zip open quarter of the way and poked her head out of the gap.

Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. He wasn't there. Had she imagined it? She has no idea what time of night it was. It was possible she had dropped off and dreamt it…

Sighing once more she placed her hand outside the tent to push herself upwards, meaning to re-zip her door. She pulled her hand away, as if burnt, from the ground when she made contact with a cold metal on the floor. Scurrying back in to her tent and retrieving her small keyring torch, she shone the light to the ground. There laid her eight remaining arrows she hadn't been able to find in the darkness and a packet of cigarettes. She picked up her blood caked jeans and felt at the pockets. Empty. She must have dropped them. Beaming, she picked up the arrows and cigarettes and climbed back inside. She laid the objects on the floor and closed the entrance to her tent. A warm feeling spread through her body and she snuggled down in to her sleeping bag and fell asleep only moments later.

 _There you have it!_

 _Super long chapter for me tonight! I don't usually have enough time to write 2500+ words, so I am really happy with being able to accomplish 3500+ this evening!_

 _Also, I have noticed in my chapters that the line breaks I have been putting in on word when the point of view changes between Andy and Daryl don't show up on the site._

 _I have not inserted *** between POV changes, I hope you guys were able to tell the switch of POV before, but I hope it's easier to see now!_

 _Lots of thinking in this chapter! We have a poor puzzled Andy and a very conflicted Daryl!_

 _Huge step forward for Shane also! I have some interesting ideas for his character, so I think I will be taking him down a very different road than the comics/show, but I'm sure I can turn someone else in to a bad guy!_

 _I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had lots of fun writing it._

 _I want to say a big thanks to all of my new followers and favourites this week. The fact there are people reading this makes me so happy!_

 _If you could all be even more incredible, I would really appreciate some reviews. I only have one so far, and the more I can gather, the more I can get this story exactly how you guys want it. You are my main priority!_

 _The next chapter should be up on or before next Wednesday._

 _Thanks, gang!_


	9. Chapter 8 - I WON'T STOP NEXT TIME

**CHAPTER 8 – I WON'T STOP NEXT TIME**

It was a hot day, even more so than normal. The group had taken a break from their jobs, aside from Dale, who sat atop the RV keeping watch. His hat was pulled low on his head, protecting him from the heat.

Andrea, Amy, Carol, Jacqui, Lori and Andy all sat around the lake at the bottom of the meadow. Andy has been with the group for five weeks now and she finally felt like she had gotten to know them. She laughed, joked, bickered and talked to everyone. There were, of course, some members of the group Andy did not always see eye to eye with, but today, those moments were forgotten, as the women lounged around the water, trouser legs rolled up, feet dipping in the water and faces smiling upward toward the heat of the Georgia sun. They had been having a care free conversation, a rare opportunity that the women had snatched.

"What do I miss most?" Amy said, replying to Jacqui's question, "I miss my laptop! Facebook and Instagram… I miss chocolate and I miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer!" the women laughed as Amy pulled an over-exaggerated sulking expression.

"I miss my vibrator." Andrea muttered, loudly. The women giggled mischievously.

"Me too." Exclaimed Jacqui.

"Me too!" laughed Andy.

There was a stretch of silence punctured only by the giggles of the women.

"…Me too…" Carol admitted, quietly. The women threw their heads back and fell in to fits of laughter. Andrea was slapping the grass as Andy wiped tears from her eyes. No one had expected to Carol to say such a thing.

Behind the unaware women, Ed tried to listen in, cursing that he could not hear the exchange by the lake. He pulled his cigarette tin from his pocket, popped off the lid and removed a roll up. Grumbling, he counted six. Six roll ups left until he was out of tobacco. Anger boiled through Ed's body as he shoved the roll up between his lips and lit the end. He stuffed the tin back in to his pocket and stomped towards the women, who were still laughing loudly, making Ed grate his teeth as he approached them.

"What's so funny?!" Ed spat, his voice raised, at the women, making them all jump. Carol's eyes fell to her lap and she sat on her hands. Andy noticed how she had begun to shake, and was trying to cover it from the other women. Andrea narrowed her eyes and spoke flippantly to Ed.

"Just swapping war stories, Ed." Andrea smiled nicely at the man, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

Ed continued to make his way to the women, his eyes set on his wife. Andrea sprang to her feet and stepped in front of Carol.

"Problem, Ed?" she asked the man, tilting her head, her brow furrowed.

"Nothin' that concerns you. And you ought to focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club." He looked down at Andrea, smirking slightly, feeling in control. He took a long pull of his cigarette and blew the smoke in to Andrea's face. Andrea wrinkled her nose, batting the smoke away from the air in front of her with her hand. She stared at Ed with intent. Andy rose to her feet cautiously, standing near Andrea, fearing a fight. It was no secret Ed was an aggressive man and Andy was not stupid enough to believe the stories Carol would make up to explain a blossoming bruise. Andy's eyes flicked back and forth between the pair and she watched Andrea place her hands on her hips, lips pursed.

"Ed… Tell you what." She began with a sarcastic smile, "You don't like how your laundry is done? You're welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here." She bent down and picked up a dirty shirt from the pile and pressed it in to his chest. Fuming, Ed grappled for the shirt and threw it back in to Andrea's face with force.

"Hey!" Andy shouted holding her hand out towards Ed. "Ain't my job, missy!" he spat as Andrea pulled the shirt away from her face and threw it to the ground, placing her hands on her hips.

"And what is your job, Ed?" she yelled, "Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?!" she laughed sarcastically. Ed scoffed at the woman and smiled, eyeing Andrea with disgust.

"Well it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch!" he made to move around Andrea towards Carol, "You know what?" he said holding a gesturing hand out to Carol, "Come on."

Carol made to stand, when Andy placed a protective hand atop her shoulder. "I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed." She told the man in the calmest tone she could manage.

"And I say it's none of your business!" he yelled, pointing his finger at Andy, making her back away nervously. He moved back towards Carol, "Come on now, you heard me!" he demanded.

Carol rose from the floor, her hands shaking furiously. Ed leaned back on the balls of his feet and crossed his arms across his chest, grinning smugly as he watched his wife obey his command.

"Carol…" Andrea called to the woman, reaching out her hand. Carol pushed it away, still looking at the ground.

"Andrea please, it doesn't matter." She shuffled towards Ed, clutching her hands together in an attempt to stop herself from shaking. Taking a deep breath, Andy stepped between the pair.

"She's not going anywhere, Ed." Andy told him, her eyes burning with determination. Ed closed the already small gap between himself and Andy, looking down at her, a threatening glare in his eyes.

"Hey! Don't think I won't knock you on your ass just because you're some British college-educated cooze, Alright?" he said in a terrifyingly quiet voice. He shoved a stunned Andy aside and approached his wife, gripping her wrist, "Now come on, or you're gonna regret it later!" he pulled on Carol's wrist and Jacqui rose behind the scene, holding her arms out, confidently.

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later?" Everyone was stood up now, crowding around Carol, backing her up. Ed's eyes shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, we've all seen them, Ed."

Tears began to silently fall down Carol's cheeks Ed let go of her wrist, laughing. "Stay out of this!" he yelled at the women. "You know what? This ain't none of y'all's business! You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I'm done talking!" he grabbed Carol once more and yanked her towards him, "Come on!" he turned around and began to walk away.

Andrea surged forward, pulling Carol away from the man, "No!" she yelled. Amy ran forward placing her hands on Carol's shoulders.

"Carol you don't need to…" she began.

Ed span around stalking quickly towards the women. "YOU DON'T TELL HER WHAT! I TELL HER WHAT!" he screamed.

Daryl's head snapped up as he heard the distinct yell of Ed. He had heard him shouting more than once. At Shane, at the group, but mostly at his wife and kid. Daryl jogged to the top of the hill and looked down to the meadow. The scene in front of his eyes disturbed him. Ed was furious, shaking with anger. The women were all stood poised like lionesses, Carol enclosed in the middle crying. Daryl scrunched his face together when he looked at Ed once again. He had seen that face before, he knew that face too well. He had grown up with that face. This man was about to lash out.

"Shit." Daryl muttered, throwing his bag down on the ground. He stripped the rope of rabbits and squirrels he had caught and dropped them on top of his bag. His crossbow remained on his back and his knife in his belt.

CRACK

The slap echoed across the meadow and bounced off of the hill. Carol had fallen to the ground and the women were in uproar. Daryl had known that face. Daryl began to run towards the scene. He pushed himself, panting, seeing the women, including Andy, attempting to hold Ed off.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Andy shouted shoving Ed. Daryl hated himself for not being faster as he watched Ed swing the back of his hand across Andy's jaw. She cried out, clutching her face.

Ed raised his hand once more to deliver another blow, a blow that would never happen.

Ed guffawed, the wind completely knocked out of him as Daryl tackled him to the ground.

Daryl hovered over Ed's body, clutching the throat of the man. He raised his fist and brought it down on Ed's cowering face with a fury. A sickening crunch made the women cringe and blood streaked across Daryl's knuckles.

"Daryl! Stop!" an incoherent voice rang quietly in Daryl's ear, he forgot about it quickly, bringing his fist down on the man's face again, again, again and again. With each punch Daryl delivered to the man, the harder he found it to stop. Blood gurgled in Ed's throat, his lip split, his eye puffed up, and bruises sprouted across his skin. Daryl lowered his fast and bunched the blood-soaked fabric of Ed's shirt in his hands, he lifted the man's face to meet his own, his lips inches away from Ed's ear.

He spoke in a deadly quiet tone, the words dripping from his mouth like acid, "Ya' put ya' hands on ya' wife, ya' lil' girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, I won' stop next time, d'ya' hear me?" he moved his face to meet the broken man eye to eye, "D'YA' HEAR ME?!" he shouted. Daryl dropped the man and his head fell back on to the grass. He whimpered in pain. Daryl stood and put all of his effort into a hard kick into Ed's side. He groaned, unable to move.

"Oh, God! No. God!" Carol sobbed, dropping to her knees beside her husband. "Ed, I'm sorry. Oh my God. Ed, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ed." She whimpered.

Daryl paced, his ears ringing. He was seeing red. The commotion of the women telling him to stop, the loud sobs of Carol, Andy shouting his name. All of it had gone over his head. He had given Ed the first punch with intent of teaching his a lesson. The rest had come from a place of Daryl's past, and he had realised now that he, in that moment, had become the person he had been most paranoid about becoming. His Father. Daryl had always been the sobbing wreck beneath a drunk, anger crazed man with a single intention, dominance. Ed was that man, Daryl's Father had been that man, and now he felt he was that man.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts and he jumped around, cringing away from the touch. He met Andy's eyes immediately, his eyes like a magnet to hers.

"Daryl…" she began. He had not heard the gentle sound of her voice wrapping around his name in weeks. Yet, he cut her off.

"Nah." He told her quietly, shaking his head. He walked away, leaving Andy behind. He could feel her eyes on his back as he made his way back up the hill of the meadow. But he did not turn back.

 _Guys, I am so, so sorry for the week delay._

 _I ended up doing an extra shift last week (Wednesday is my writing day) and I couldn't find the time to get this chapter down._

 _As you've read I made a big change in this scene. I felt it was appropriate for Daryl to take Shane's place in this scene to accommodate for the plans I have for his, Andy and Carol's characters._

 _Please, leave a review. Please, let me know what you think. This is chapter eight and Ii have only received one review so far, and I am really doubting myself on what you guys think and what you would like to see, so I beg you, please take an extra two minutes to let me know what you think of the story so far, or what you would like to see in the future._

 _A big thank you to all of the new favourites, and followers, you know who you are!_

 _xx_


	10. Chapter 9-I DON'T JUST SHARE WITH ANYONE

CHAPTER 9 – I DON'T JUST SHARE WITH ANYONE

Andy sat across from Merle. The pair tore through their dinner hungrily. Andy had been eating squirrel as her only source of protein for weeks now. She bit down again in to the flesh of the rabbit, chewing slowly, savouring the flavour. She had helped Carol take Ed back to their tent earlier that afternoon. The walk had her brain whirring with mixed emotions. Hatred for Ed, pity for Carol, concern for Daryl. She had never seen the man so angry, in fact, she had _never_ seen any man so angry. Her brow furrowed in worry as she thought about the man. He had swiftly stormed off towards the tents and she had wanted nothing more than to follow, but her friend needed her, and the other women didn't seem too eager to help. When Andy had managed to get back to the tents, a pre-prepared speech ready in her head, Daryl was nowhere to be seen. She was greeted instead, by Merle holding two fat rabbits up by their feet, a wide smile plastered across his face. She had returned the smile with difficulty, her concern for Daryl prominent in her mind.

"Ain't had rabbit in so long, I gon' forgo' wha' it taste like!" Merle exclaimed, his mouth full. Andy grinned, her mouth stuffed full of rabbit. She swallowed the mouthful, smacking her lips.

"You've got that right, Merle." She replied, "This tastes better than steak!" Merle laughed in reply.

"Don' ge' too ahead o' ya'self, girl, I'd give up ma' right hand for'a steak righ' 'bout now!" he said, still laughing. "An' thas' sayin' somethin'!" he made a jerking gesture with his right hand, making Andy choke on her food with laughter.

" _Merle!_ " she bellowed, throwing a rabbit foot at the man. She was clutching her stomach, doubling over with laughter. Merle had a direct line to her funny bone, that much was certain.

Merle threw a pile of bones in to the fire pit and patted his stomach. "Thank'ya very much, lil' brotha" he mused. Andy immediately descended in to guilt. She had been laughing and joking with Merle, and had entirely forgotten the reason she had walked back to the tents in the first place. Daryl. And he was still nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Daryl, anyway?" she asked Merle, trying her best to remain nonchalant.

"Daryl? Wen' ta' tha' woods. Looked pissed off a' summin'. Left him to it." He said, indifferent, shrugging his shoulders.

"But it's getting dark." Andy pointed out, looking to the sky. The sun had started to set, and the light was fading quickly. "Do you think he will be back soon?"

Merle's shoulders shook as he chuckled. "Ya' don' need ta' worry 'bout Daryl, girl. He's spent more time in tha woods than anywhere else."

Andy smiled at Merle, feigning agreement. It was clear Merle knew nothing about what had happened earlier that day with Ed, and Andy worried about Daryl alone in the woods, familiar or not. Andy didn't realise how long she had been sat watching the tree line until Merle rose, grunting.

"Well, 'm gonna' call it a night, English. If ya' get cold, ya' can always snuggle on up with ol' Merle!" he told her with a wink.

Andy laughed at the man, "I'll keep that in mind, Merle!" He flashed Andy a toothy grin as he ducked in to his tent.

"Make sure ya' do!" he called as he zipped the door of his tent closed.

Andy chuckled to herself, relishing Merle's sense of humour. After a day like today, she had needed a good laugh. The jokes she'd shared with the girls that afternoon had seemed a lifetime away. Andy pulled her cigarette box from her pocket and flipped the lid. She peered inside, one cigarette left rolling around the packet. She removed it from the box and turned it in her fingers. Her last cigarette. She looked at it and resumed twirling in her fingers longingly.

A quiet groan startled her, making her look up. Her gaze met Daryl's instantly, he was looking down at her with distaste. Saying nothing, he made his way to his tent.

"Hey, Daryl!" she called softly making him turn slowly.

"Mmm?" he grumbled, annoyed. It was clear the man did not want to talk, Andy suspected he had intended to sneak back to camp unnoticed, but Andy intended to check he was alright.

"Come, sit" she told him patting the ground next to her. Daryl looked back towards his tent and began to walk towards it. Andy's shoulders drooped and she sighed in disappointment. She watched sadly as the hunter unzipped his tent and crawled inside. But her expression soon changed to a wide smile when she saw the man push the door back open. Daryl walked towards Andy gingerly, his expression quizzical.

"What'cha' smilin' at?" he asked folding his arms across his chest. Andy felt the heat in her cheeks rise and silently pleaded that he couldn't see the blush on her face in the night.

"Nothing!" Andy exclaimed, a little too quickly, and she cursed herself with embarrassment. She patted the ground again, eager to change the conversation. "Come sit with me." Daryl grumbled something about the time of night and not even having a watch shift, yet he lowered himself next to her, crossing his legs. Andy could feel the awkwardness creeping up and racked her brain for something to say. She then realised she was still twirling her last remaining cigarette between her fingers and glanced sideways at Daryl. If anyone needed a nicotine hit today, it was him. She put the cigarette to her lips and fished in her pocket for her lighter. "Fuck" she grumbled, stuffing her hands in to her pockets, her fingers finding everything but her lighter.

"C'mere." Daryl muttered holding up a zippo. He flicked the top off the lighter and sparked the flint. He held the flame towards Andy and she leaned towards his hand, holding the cigarette between her teeth. As she pulled on the cigarette, igniting the end, she glanced up at Daryl through her fringe. He was looking down at the ground, his other hand was bundled around a clump of grass, and Andy could tell he was uncomfortable. She leant back, giving him some space. She noticed the tension body relax a little and she broke a small smile to herself, talking a long drag of her cigarette.

"Here." He said nudging Daryl with the back of her hand. She felt his body tense once more, but she ignored it and smiled at him as he looked up at her. He didn't return the smile, but looked at her with a scowl. She only smiled wider, more than used to the expression he always wore. She gestured towards him again with her hand, offering him the cigarette. Daryl shook his head at Andy.

"Nah, ya' have it. Ya' shared enough with me." He looked back down at the floor and Andy felt a wave of sadness come over her. She had an urge to reach out and comfort him, but she revaluated her thought, certain he wouldn't appreciate it.

"Don't be silly, Daryl, I don't mind sharing." She resumed smiling at him and moved to place the cigarette between his fingers. She felt embarrassed as he flinched when their fingers brushed one another. It was Andy's turn to glare at the ground as she rubbed her hand, baffled over the electricity she had felt pass between them. She stole a glance at Daryl, convinced he had felt the same judging by his facial expression that matched hers. Andy shook off the feeling at searched for a point of topic. She had planned exactly what to say to Daryl, about what had happened, but now everything she had planned as vanished from her mind, and the last thing she wanted to do was scare him away.

"So, your charming older brother offered me a spot in his sleeping bag if I got cold tonight." She told Daryl, sniggering. She turned to look at Daryl, who was still looking forward, rather than at her, but she noticed the ever so subtle smile that threatened to appear on his lips. She silently praised herself and continued.

"I mean in _July_? In _Georgia_?" she exclaimed, laughing. The corners of Daryl's mouth twitched. "At least… I think its July. Damn hot enough to be July anyway!" Daryl's mouth broke in to a smile and he chuckled shaking his head. A wide grin spread on Andy's face and a laughed bubbled in her mouth. She clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from waking the entire camp.

"Thas' Merle all over." Daryl said, taking another pull on the cigarette. "Always knows whatta' say ta' women." He handed the cigarette back to Andy and she thanked him taking a long drag. She exhaled and looked at Daryl, narrowing her eyes in a playful way.

"If that's what you call it." She said, still giggling, "I'd sooner camp with someone a little less… well… _chatty_." She said making air quotations with her fingers, winking at Daryl. Daryl's eyes widened at her comment, and he dropped his gaze to the ground once more, looking embarrassed. Andy smirked at the man. She was still in awe over the thought of Daryl being so shy around women. The rugged exterior of the man screamed lady killer, but the way he couldn't keep eye contact or the way he would tense up under the slightest touch told Andy otherwise. A part of her loved teasing the man with subtle jokes. She couldn't help but enjoy the way he froze up when she made a suggestive joke. And a joke it was, well, that is what she told herself.

"So, ya' gonna' take up Merle's offer, then?" he muttered, still casting his gaze downward, "Shack up wi' him?" he had begun plucking blades of grass from the ground, trying to give his hands something to do. He was trying to pretend he didn't care. He didn't want to care. But somewhere within him he cared, and it confused the hell out of him.

"No, Daryl." She replied to him, passing the cigarette back. He muttered a thanks as he took it from her, trying his best not to skim her fingers again. "Besides…" she said meeting Daryl's eyes, "I don't just share with anyone." Daryl brought the cigarette to his lips and took a long pull. Realisation hit him like a bus when he processed what she had just said. He took in a sharp breath and choked on the smoke, coughing as he exhaled. He glanced back towards Andy, expecting to see her mocking face as he spluttered on the smoke, but was met instead with a sweet smile. He cleared his throat once more and looked into her eyes. He could just make out the deep blue colour of them in the moonlight, and started to take in the features of her face. Her long lashes, her messy black hair draped around her shoulders. He passed his gaze over her mouth and noticed her smile, still firmly in place. His own mouth betrayed him as the left side of his lips hooked into a slanted smile. He looked back in to her eyes and noticed she was still looking back in to his. Daryl's face flushed and he pulled his eyes away, his hands tearing at the grass.

"Daryl…" Andy practically purred. Daryl dared to look back. Her smile had now turned sad, and he furrowed his brow, predicting what she way about to say.

"Don'" he told the woman, shaking his head. But Andy was persistent.

"Daryl, about this afternoon…" Daryl cut her off.

"Woman, I said don'." He grumbled. Andy shuffled closer towards the hunter, and she saw the familiar sight of his body freezing up.

"Daryl, we're doing this whether you like it or not." She told him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she held a finger up to silence him. "Daryl." She said firmly. "Thank you." Daryl began chewing on his thumbnail, unsure of what to say. He was surprised she was still even talking to him, let alone thanking him. He was expecting a speech about how everyone hated him, about how she was wrong about him and he really _was_ a good for nothing redneck, and that she really _would_ prefer his brother's company… "What you did today was brave. Ed was a danger to us, he _is_ a danger to us. You did the right thing. I know the others may not think that now, but they will see. Who knows what he could have done to Carol? He could have killed her for all we know. She has been showing up with cuts and bruises for a long time now." Sighing, Daryl let his hand fall in to his lap.

"I shouldn'a hit him." He muttered quietly.

"Look." Andy said, making him meet her eyes once more, "You did what you had to do. What's done is done, there is no point in beating yourself up over it now. You did what was best for the group, and you might not think that, but I really do. He was beating his _wife,_ Daryl. His wife! For all we know he could be doing the same to his daughter."

"Don'." He whispered. Andy watched his scowl become more serious. Her eyebrows contracted as she thought about why Daryl was so affected her mentioning of Sophia. Had something happened to him before? Did he have a child? A sister? A million questions rested on the tip of her tongue, part of her itching to ask them. Though she knew better, so instead she said, "Hey, it's getting late, we should call it a night." Daryl grumbled an inaudible reply. She smiled sadly at the man, his tough exterior almost cracking in front of her eyes. He had looked downward again and had resumed chewing on his thumbnail to avoid conversation. She immediately worried that she had made the man feel uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable in the way she had earlier enjoyed, but uncomfortable in a way that caused her stomach to flip in an unfamiliar way. Determine to deter his feelings, she lent close to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. She once again felt every muscle in his body freeze up under her un-invited contact. She pretended to remain oblivious as she leant her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment. Daryl remained tense, but he did not pull away, which gave Andy comfort. She prayed that he was feeling some of that comfort, even if it didn't seem so.

They sat like that for a length of time neither Daryl nor Andy could have measured. Eventually, Andy began to nod off on Daryl's shoulder, and she snapped her eyes open, startling herself.

Daryl hadn't even felt drowsy. He could have sat there all night. Slowly, he had relaxed. He hadn't noticed, but somehow, his arm had found its way around Andy's waist. Andy jolted awake on his shoulder, making him snatch his arm away at lightning speed. He squeezed his eyes shut and had begged that she hadn't noticed where it had rested moments before.

Andy looked up at Daryl, her eyes heavy with tiredness. "Getta' bed, woman." He muttered, shrugging her off of him and standing up. Her gaze followed him as he moved his weight from one foot to the other, unsure of what to say. She stood up, yawning and they made their way back towards their tents. They both ducked down to unzip their tent doors and a mischievous thought went through her mind. She couldn't help but voice it.

"I'll let you know if I get cold." She told him, winking. She didn't wait to see his reaction as she crawled in to her tent, hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

 _Please, please, please, let me know what you think by dropping me a quick review._

 _I want to say a big thankyou to anyone who had reviewed, followed and/or favorited this story. I am really enjoying writing it, and I really hope you are enjoying reading it!_

 _xx_


	11. Chapter 10 - BANG, BANG, CLICK

CHAPTER 10 – BANG, BANG, CLICK

A blood curdling scream tore through the night. Andy had been somewhere in the process of falling asleep, and she shot upright before the horrifying sound ended. Certain this was the quickest she had ever gotten out of bed, she launched herself across her small tent, grabbed her bow and quiver and ripped her tent open and began sprinting towards the others. She had not even put on her boots. She panted, her breath coming in short spurs as she gulped in the cold night's air.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Amy lay upon the ground, her limbs splayed out across the grass. Andy called the girl's name with an urgency, but was met with the cold dead stare of the bright blue eyes that had always been so full of life. _NO_ she had thought, meant to shout, but only a dry croak bubbled from her throat.

Gun shots had begun to sound around her, she whipped her head round seeing Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Glenn all firing into the darkness. Andy drew a bow and squinted in to the night. She sent an arrow flying in to the dead, but had no idea if she had succeeded in hitting one. Without thinking about that, she swiftly notched another arrow and resumed firing. She jumped when a flash blinded her momentarily, only to see that Shane had shot a dead girl who had been dangerously close to Andy's back."

"GET IN A FORMATION AROUND ME, NOW!" Shane yelled to the group, before Andy could blurt out a thanks, "DALE! STAY ON THE RV ROOF, PICK OFF AS MANY AS YOU CAN!" the group obliged, pulling in to a tight circle and using the light of one another's gun shots to aid their own. Andy had been notching and loosening arrows at an alarming rate, and cursed when she reached back into an empty quiver.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" she cried, fumbling for her knife, which was, of course, not on her belt, but back in her tent. Panic started to set in as the dead swarm seemed to grow, getting closer by the second, regardless of the firing guns around her.

"I'M OUT!" Glenn yelled, throwing his gun to the ground. He yanked a short hunting knife from his belt, took a breath and launched himself into the rotting herd, grunting as he plunged the blade in to as many skulls as he could. One by one, the group dropped their weapons, running out of the precious ammunition that lay in their tents. So close, yet so far.

Glenn looked around, his eyes wide at the lack of gunshots. "QUICK, EVERYONE, RESUPPLY! GRAB AMMO FROM THE TENTS ASAP AND LET'S FINISH THIS BEOFRE WE LOSE SOMEONE ELSE!" The men nodded in agreement as they all dove in to their tents to retrieve the shells, clips and bullets they desperately needed.

The formation broken, the herd growing closer, Andy feared the worst. She gritted her teeth as she kicked an approaching corpse hard in the chest, sending it tumbling backwards.

Another scream ripped through the air, and the heads of both the living and dead turned towards the sound. This scream was not like the first. Pain, it was made of pain. Not a physical pain, but pure emotion.

"AMY!" Andrea shrieked, running head first in to the dull moans of the dead.

"ANDREA, NO!" Andy shouted, watching the woman disappear in to the crowd.

BANG

BANG

BANG

A man long dead dropped, and Andy noticed the herd getting thinner.

BANG

BANG

BANG

Another scream emerged, primal and terrifying.

BANG

BANG

BANG

Crying hysterically, all Andrea saw was red.

BANG

BANG

BANG

CLICK

"NO, NO, NO, NOOO!" Andrea bellowed, her hand gun running out of bullets. She held the gun to the sky and brought it down upon the head of a young (but very dead) girl. The impact of the hit brought it and Andrea to the ground, and Andy ran forward to aid the woman as she kept bashing, and bashing and bashing.

She knelt near Andrea, amongst the lifeless bodies of the herd she had massacred.

"Andrea, stop." She pleaded with the crazed woman. Andrea seemed not to hear as she continued to bring the gun down again, blood covering her arms, bones cracking, brains and flesh splattering the woman's face. " _Andrea!"_ Andy insisted, pushing the woman forcefully from a top the body. "Stop." Andrea fell hard on to her back, and she lay there, her chest heaving.

About to move over to the woman, Andy yelped as a cold hand grasped around her unprotected ankle.

"Agh!" she stuttered, her other leg and arms fumbling to try and stand. It was no use, the thing had gripped her. She heard it before she saw it. The hungry groaning of the thing sent her heart beating like a drum. She whipped her head around to see the dead man pulling himself towards her, its teeth snapping furiously. Andy scrambled backwards, trying to kick the creature back with her free foot, without allowing it to come close enough to its teeth.

It was Andy's turn to sob. A part of her had wanted to scream out for help, but her voice had denied the request. Battling with the corpse, she pleaded in her mind for a solution.

A _thunk_ sounded, and the head of the man dropped, unmoving to the floor. Andy sucked in a shocked breath as she wrenched her foot from its cold grasp. Andy backed away from the man, until she felt somewhat safer. She held her hand over her chest and could have sworn her heart was beating hard enough to break a rib. She squinted back at the body, and her eyes widened upon seeing the green feathers protruding from the back of its skull.

He stepped forward through the shadows, forcing a knife in to her hand. She took the knife willingly, and stood up, scanning around for more threats. It seemed that that had been the last one, and Andy took a deep breath.

Daryl had moved cautiously towards Andrea. She was still lying on her back, her face contorted with rage.

"Were ya' bit?" Daryl asked, gazing at the woman with narrowed eyes.

"No." Andrea replied in a tone that seemed way to calm.

"Ya sure, blondie?" called Merle, making Andy jump. She had not noticed his arrival, yet there he was, machete in hand, and a shirt soaked through with blood Andy hoped was not his.

"I said _no._ " Andrea replied darkly. She sat up slowly, searching the ground. Her head froze as she found what he was looking for. A glint of ashy blonde hair, a pale hand stretched out as though it were reaching towards her…

Slowly Andrea rose, she moved with nerve and nerves. They watched as the woman dropped to her knees and cupped Amy's drained face between her palms. Andy moved forward without thinking. She had a human instinct to be with Andrea, to comfort her through the pain. She was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder. She looked up and right in to Daryl's eyes.

"Nah, don'." He muttered, "Let her mourn."

No one had slept that night. The men, Andy and Jacqui had spent it heaving the bodies of the dead in to a pile, away from their tents. Everyone had worked in a sombre silence, fearing to look in to one another's eyes. Their safety was gone. Did it ever exist?

By morning, Andrea had still not moved from her spot beside Amy. If she was tired, she did not show it. Shane had tried to approach her to tell her they needed to take care of Amy's body, and Andrea had pulled her gun on Shane.

"I know it's empty, Andrea." Shane told her, crouching beside the woman. "I know this hurts. But we have to do it."

Andrea's trained arm did not lower. "What you need to do, is back away from my sister." She threatened. Shane rose holding his hands in the air, a sadness in his eyes. Slowly he reached for his back pocket and pulled out his own handgun from his jeans, a weapon he wished he had last night.

Andrea's eyes narrowed with disbelieving.

"Don't hesitate." He told Andrea, placing the gun on the ground between them. "She will not be Amy anymore." He picked himself back up and had walked back to the on-looking group. Andy noticed Andrea move forward to the gun. She watched as the woman checked if it was full, and then when satisfied, resumed staring, heartbroken, at Amy's now colourless face.

"We need to move." Rick had claimed, "It's not safe here."

"I don't think it's safe anywhere anymore, Rick." His wife had replied with a defeated expression.

"You're right, but staying here only leaves us vulnerable. We are too close to Atlanta city, and it looks like the walkers are running out of food."

The group discussed options. Shane wanted to go to Fort Benny, Rick wanted to try the CDC. Dale suggested taking their camp further in to the sticks and Glenn talked about how great it would be to find a sound building for them to live. Carl's words cut through the conversation like a knife.

"Mom, where's Sophia?" he asked Lori, tugging at her sleeve. The group turned to look at Carl, then at each other, expressions of fear and realization hitting them as they noticed the three members of their group missing. Carol, Sophia, Ed.

"Shit!" Shane gasped. "Carl, you stay with your Mom. Andy, Dale, keep watch over Andrea. Glenn, Daryl, T-Dog, Merle, Rick, with me!" he set off running towards the large six man tent that belonged to the Peltier family before he could hear Merle grumble, "Ain't no cop gonna' tell me wha' ta' do."

The men reached the tent and approached with caution. Merle had followed anyway. Daryl held his crossbow up, pointing towards the tent. Shane held a finger in the air making the men listen. A low whisper, a groaning could just be heard. The tent door was pulled across, but not zipped.

Shane signalled again, and the men took aim. Shane crept forward and pulled aside the tent door as Daryl moved forward ready to fire. He stepped in to the high rise tent and his eyes scanned the scene. Huddled in the corner, was Carol and Sophia. They clutched one another, vibrating with fear. The pair cried silently. Daryl saw red marks on the back of the child's neck from where her Mother had been holding her so tightly, the child did not seem no notice. On the other side of the room was the reason for their fear. Still zipped up to the throat in a sleeping bag was a battered, bruised and un-mistakenly dead Ed. His foot twitched through a hole at the bottom of the sleeping bag, splashing in a pool of his own blood. Daryl saw the crescent bite across his foot, and pondered how the women had gotten so lucky. Hearing the footsteps of the other men ducking in to the tent, Ed began to groan louder, his unbruised eye now a milky white. A broken sob fell from his daughter's lips.

"Unlucky fucker." Daryl heard his brother say behind him, and he brought his crossbow up to aim at Ed's head. Daryl glanced sideways towards the Mother and Daughter, who were now staring at him, eyes like a terrified pair of deer. Grimacing, he looked back at Ed.

Merle saw the conflict in his brother's face. Come to think of it, he had not seen nor heard from Ed since the day his little brother had stormed off in to the woods pissed off. Daryl had caused the man's face to swell and bruise, he was sure.

"Don' be a pussy, lil' bro'." Merle told Daryl, pushing him aside and plunging a knife deeply in to Ed's skull. A strangled cry was heard as Daryl turned and walked away. He could hear Carol's cries and he did not stop walking. " _No, no, Ed, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Ed. Please, Ed, I'm so sorry…"_

When he got back to his tent, his ears could no longer hear the woman's cries, but his brain would never forget them.

BANG

Daryl's head snapped up. He rose to his feet, peering towards the camp. He watched Andrea place the gun back to the ground and scoop Amy in to her arms. He did not know how he felt.

Two days passed. The bodies of the dead were burnt. The bodies of the group were buried.

It was agreed that they would head for the Georgia CDC. Rick had heard of a solution, or even a cure being worked on by the top scientists of the state. The group had all agreed in the end it was worth a shot. Their biggest worry was that the CDC building was closer towards the city, something they could not risk if the idea was a bust.

Everyone packed a backpack of emergency items. Food, water, ammunition. Shane had instructed that no one was to leave their bag unattended. The rest of the group's belongings were packed either in to the RV, the car boots, or in Andy's case, on to her bike. She had still kept her Papa's advice, and travelled with only what she could carry herself. She noticed that Daryl seemed to be following the same advice, having only packed his tent, some clothing and spare arrows in to the compartment of his bike.

"We make a move at first light." Shane had announced to the group that evening. He smoothed a map out on the ground for them all to see. "The CDC is a little under a day's travel." He told them. "We all have spare fuel, we will need to stop around here," he pointed to a spot on the map, "to refuel. We drive together, we stay _together._ Andy, Daryl, you two drive up front, you're our eyes. I'll ride with Rick, Lori, Carl, Sophia and Carol in the four by four behind you. Dale, you take Glenn, Jacqui, T-Dog and Andrea with you in the RV. Merle, you said you wanna' ride alone, you take the VW and ride at back." The group nodded their heads in agreement, Merle seemed smug at getting his own way, but Andy knew Shane had only given him hi way to avoid putting him with anyone else.

"Tonight, we're all in either the RV or the cars. It will be a tight squeeze, but we need to stay close to one another, it will be worth it when we get to the CDC." Rick had said.

They all crammed in where they could fit, and tried to sleep.

 _As always, thank you to any new followers and favourites._

 _A MASSIVE thank you to the three gorgeous people who have taken the time to leave me a quick review, you guys are the reason I love writing this story!_

 _Please, I beg you, leave me a review, let me know what you think!_

 _I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, stay tuned!_


	12. Chapter 11 - YOU'RE KILLING US

CHAPER 11 – YOU'RE KILLING US

" _Morgan, I don't know if you're out there. I don't know if you can hear me. Maybe you're listening right now. I hope so. I found others… my family, if you can believe it. My wife and son, they're alive. I wanted you to know that. There's something else you need to know. Atlanta isn't what we thought. It's not what they promised. The city is… Do not enter the city. It belongs to the dead now. We're camped a few miles northwest, up by a big abandoned rock quarry. You can see it on a map. Last night walkers came out of the woods. We lost people. We are moving today. We going to the CDC. It's closer to the city, but we need to take the risk. We need to know if this is it. I hope you come find us. Watch yourself, Morgan. Take care of your boy. I'll try you tomorrow at dawn." He waited for a reply. He looked across at the sun rising over the horizon of Atlanta. There was no beauty in it anymore. Rick sighed and clicked the off switch on the walkie talkie._

The group had finished their preparations for the long drive ahead of them and waited for Rick. Overnight, the man had seemed to become somewhat of a leader. Each of them was relying on his crazy pipe dream, living off of his hope. Andy gave her bike another once over, checking the things she had already checked thrice over. Fuel, check. Extra fuel, check. Tent, check. Bag, check. Bow, check. It was a small list. She had not came to this camp with much, and she was not leaving with much either.

Rick appeared striding towards the ready to go convoy. "Ready?" he asked them in what Andy was sure was supposed to be enthusiasm. The group had responded with solemn nods. The events of the night before was still fresh in everyone's minds, and companioned with the little sleep they had gotten last night, they were not at their optimum. "Let's go, then."

Andy climbed on to her saddle and picked her helmet from the ground. She glances sideways and saw Daryl watching her, his expression unreadable. "What?" she questioned the man.

"Tha' world taken ova' by tha' dead n' ya' scared 'bout fallin' off ya' bike?" he scoffed.

"The world taken over by the dead gives me all the more reason to suit up. If dead men strolling in to the road randomly isn't an incentive to wear headgear, I don't know what is." She retorted. Daryl had already turned away, but Andy caught a glimpse of the corners of his mouth twitch. Another almost smile. Andy smiled in response, maybe when they got to the CDC she could force the bloody sulk to smile. She chuckled to herself. "That'll be the day!" she muttered.

Rick's voice caught the group's attention. "Okay everyone. We stick together, as planned. Daryl and Andy both know where we are going, so stay in formation, and we will be there by the end of the day. Any car problems, honk once. Walkers, we drive past them, unless its unavoidable, then we retreat and work out a way around. We will stop at the half way mark to switch drivers and refuel. Daryl, Merle, Andy?" he addressed the trio and they looked up at Rick. "Are you _sure_ you can drive for eight hours?"

"Mm." Daryl grumbled, "Like I'd eva' let any'o ya' on ma' bike." Rick smiled. Nearby, Dale laughed. But Andy knew he wasn't joking. She felt the same.

"What he said, Rick." Andy told him, jabbing a thumb towards Daryl. Rick chuckled as he shook his head. Merle said nothing, but he did offer the man a menacing glare that said he was perfectly able to drive for the allotted time and more.

"Aright then, let's go."

It was an uneventful trip. They had encountered the dead, more the closer they came to the city. But by the time any of them had brought their attention to the group, the group had already passed. Other than that the roads were desolate. They had stopped halfway to refuel their bikes, and for each car (aside from Merle's) switched drivers.

Andy's hands cramped around the handlebars of her bike, the last push of their eight hour trip was eating away at her now. She was exhausted. Their pacey seventy five miles per hour speed was keeping her awake and alert. She had flipped up the visor of her helmet to allow the wind to whip her face. She noticed Daryl beside her drop his speed. She soon followed suit, dropping to thirty miles per hour. It felt like a crawl. She glanced over at Daryl, who was now holding his arm skywards, signalling to the cars behind that they were close. She looked forward as the building came in to view. She had only seen it once, a long time ago on a trip in her Papa's car. He had explained what the building was to her, and she had asked him why it was so small. The building itself was no bigger than a regular office block, any one of Atlanta's skyscrapers could swallow it in their shadow. Her Papa had explained that eighty percent of the building was in fact, underground. She had remembered being impressed by this, and she thought of the London underground back in England. So much going on beneath their feet.

On approaching the CDC, the convoy came to a halt on the asphalt. They had little day light left, Andy knew, they _all_ knew they had one shot at getting in, or they were stranded only a handful of miles away from the city in the dark. Bodies were everywhere. Military bodies, civilian bodies. All dead. _Dead_ dead. They were everywhere.

" **WILDFIRE MSB3417 ACTIVE. BEGIN TRANSMISSION"**

"Jenner here. It's day 194 since Wildfire was declared and 63 days since the disease abruptly went global. There's no clinical progress to report. I finally got the scrubbers in the east sector shut down to save power. Wish I could have done it a month ago, but it took me that long to figure it out. Too bad I never studied engineering, could have saved a lot of amps. I'm still not sleeping well. Can't seem to keep regular hours. Living underground doesn't help, not knowing if it's day or night. I'm just feeling very off-kilter these days."

" **WILDFIRE MSB3417 ACTIVE**

" **END TRANSMISSION"**

" _ **All personnel must clear the room. Corrosive element is deemed poisonous if inhaled."**_

" _ **All personnel clear. Full decontamination in effect."**_

"No!"

"The TS19 samples are gone. The tragedy of their loss cannot be overstated. They were our freshest samples by far. None of the other samples we gathered even came close. Those are necrotic, useless dead flesh. I don't even know why I'm talking to you. I bet there isn't a single son of a bitch out there still listening, is there? Is there? Fine. Saves me the embarrassment. I think tomorrow I'm gonna blow my brains out. I haven't decided. But tonight, I'm getting drunk. Speaking of which, how far you think I can chuck this, huh? Pretty far I bet…

…Oh! It is out of the stadium!"

A small gust of wind sent the stench barrelling at the group. The foul odour of the dead consumed them. Behind Andy, Carl and Sophia coughed whilst Lori gagged. "Oh my god, the _smell_!" Glenn exclaimed, pinching his nose.

"Shh!" Rick hissed at them, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Alright, everybody. Keep moving. Go on. Stay quiet. Let's go." Shane commanded quietly, ushering the group ahead of himself. The group moved forward, Rick and Shane bringing up the rear, looking around at all angles, searching for any threats. They moved forward, and passed through the barriers. They rounded the corner of the building towards the entrance and Andy's eyes widened. "Oh god." She said, her state fixed on the abandoned tank. More bodies littered the floor all around them. The smell was almost unbearable. The children began to retch, Sophia was tugging on her Mother's shirt, begging to go back to the RV.

Andy noticed at the same time as Daryl, Rick and Shane, and her weapon was up. Not all the bodies around them were completely dead. Sophia's retching and coughing had disturbed the well camouflaged walkers amongst the immobile bodies.

"Shit." Shane growled. "Keep it together, come on guys, we're almost there."

"You heard Shane, we're almost there, baby." Lori said to Carl, trying to convince herself as well as her son.

Rick pushed through to the front of the group. He led them to the entrance, clutching the metal shutters. Putting all of his weight behind his push, he tried to roll them upward. All that was accomplished was a loud rattle that had now almost defiantly brought the attention of the dead in their direction.

"Shit." Daryl grumbled, sending a bolt into the eye socket of the closest walker. He swiftly pulled out another and worked fast to reload the crossbow. Andy followed suit and helped the hunter take out the immediate danger, but they would not be able to hold them off for long, there was no telling how many of the dead lingered in the ever growing shadows of the approaching night.

"Nothing?" Shane asked Rick, pounding lightly on the door.

"There's nobody here." T-Dog said. Rick spun around, his face fury as he faced T-Dog.

"Then why are the shutters down?!" he questioned.

"Rick, we can' keep these walkers off'a long unless we start usin' the guns, n' we're too close ta' tha' city fa' that!" Daryl called over his shoulder, fumbling with his penultimate bolt.

"No guns!" Rick called back, pounding once more on the shutters.

"Ya' led us in ta' a graveyard!" Daryl called, angry now, as he sent his final bolt through the skull of a dead man.

"He made a call!" Dale said to Daryl, doing his best to ease the tension within the group.

"It was tha' wrong damn call!" Daryl growled, spinning on his heel towards the men. Shane stepped between Daryl, Rick and Dale, holding out his arms.

"Just shut up! You hear me? Shut up!" Shane hissed at them. He turned to Rick. "Rick this is a dead end." Rick gave no inkling of acknowledging Shane's words and continued to pound on the shutters.

"I'm nearly out here, I can't do this much longer!" Andy called frantically, pulling her last two arrows away from the quiver on her shoulder. Daryl appeared at her side, his rifle out, his back skimmed hers.

"Where are we going to go?!" Carol asked, the arm around her daughter shaking.

"Rick, we can't be here." Lori said to her husband, reaching out a hand to his shoulder. He turned to face her. "We can't be this close to the city after dark."

"Fort Benning, Rick! Still an option!" Shane called to Rick, who had now seemed to have come to his senses. Andrea interjected.

"On what? No food, no fuel? That's a hundred miles!" Andrea said.

"125. I checked the map." Glenn said.

"Forget Fort Benning! We need answers tonight, now!" Lori said, frustrated. She clutched her son closer.

"We'll think of something." Shane finally said, making to move.

"Walkers are closing in fast!" Andy called, and at the same time Shane had called, "Let's get out of here!"

"Let's go, please." T-Dog nodded in agreement, guiding Carl, Lori, Sophia and Carol away with his arms. Both the children and Carol were crying now.

"All right, everybody back to the cars, let's go now, move!" called Shane.

The group began to shuffle quietly as they could back the way they came. Dale looked over his shoulder to see Rick rooted to the spot, staring skyward.

"Rick!" Dale hissed, running back to the man.

"The camera, it moved." He said.

"You imagined it." Dale insisted.

"It _moved."_ He repeated.

"It's dead. It's an automated device. It gears, they're just winding down, now come on." The old man placed a hand on Rick's shoulder, attempting to pull him away. A sheen of sweat now glistened on his brow. The walkers were getting close.

"Listen to me Rick." Dale asked the man, "Look around this place. It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick. Rick there's nobody there." Rick pulled his shoulder from Dale's grasp and resumed banging on the shutters, frantically now.

"I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!" he screamed, looking directly in to the camera. The rest of the group span around in unison, shocked to see Rick had remained behind. "Dad!" Carl had called.

"Everyone back to the cars now!" Shane directed. He jogged back towards Rick, who was still screaming up at the camera.

"PLEASE! WE ARE DESPERATE! PLEASE HELP US! WE HAVE WOMEN, CHILDREN, NO FOOD, AND HARDLY ANY GAS LEFT!" He sighed, looked toward the ground, composed himself and looked back in to the camera. "We have nowhere else to go." Shane had reached Rick again, and grabbed him around the waist, dragging him back away from the shutters. "IF YOU DON'T LET US IN, YOU'RE KILLING US!" Rick screamed as Shane pulled him away.

"Rick, please, come on!"

"Rick, there is no one there!"

"Dad, come back!"

"The walkers are close, get to the cars!"

"YOU'RE KILLING US!"

"Rick, shh, come on!"

"YOU'RE KILLING US! YOU'RE KILLING US!"

The blinding white light took everyone by surprise. Shane dropped Rick, and he fell to the ground. They all stood, jaws hanging, staring at the beam of light that was pouring from the CDC. The blast of Glenn's gun snapped them all back to reality, the dead were now in biting range.

"GO, GO, GO!" Shane yelled, motioning everyone inside.

Andy whipped her head around, looking for Daryl without even realising it. She panicked, not being able to find his face, but before she was able to call his name, her hand was in hers. His hand was moist with sweat and grime, but she clutched it with all she had, and allowed the man to drag her towards what they hoped was solace.

 _Hey gang!_

 _First things first, you may now be able to tell that my time line is a lot longer than the actual series. As this is a Daryl story, I feel like this is needed._

 _Season one is actually only about eight days, where my story so far had spanned over a few weeks. I hope you don't mind this, but it is crucial to keep my story rolling._

 _With that said, did you enjoy it?! We have moved location, and we are at the CDC!_

 _I know this chapter was very 'episode based', but I really like this scene in the comic and show, and didn't want to leave it out of my story!_

 _Have no fear, though, the next couple of chapters will be happening within the CDC, and I will be coming away from the script again for a while in order to focus on Daryl and Andy._

 _Thank you to those of you that have followed and favorited this story!_

 _Please, leave me a quick review!_

 _Stay tuned!_


	13. Chapter 12 - SOCO & JD (PART 1)

Chapter 12 – SoCo & JD (Part 1)

"Hello? Hello?" Rick called, his head whipping left and right around the bright room they had ran blindly in to. "HELLO?"

"Daryl, cover the back, I'll try to get the doors shut!" Shane yelled. Andy felt a pang of fear as Daryl's hand slipped away from hers. The sound of a gun cocking diverted her attention.

"Anyone infected?" A man stood on a balcony overlooking the disorientated group. He pointed his shotgun forward, aiming at no one in particular. He was thin, his skin pale and sallow, almost translucent. Any could not tell if the expression he wore on his face was shock or fear.

"No, we're all fine." Andy told the man, not really believing herself. The group was far from 'fine', they had lost members hours ago, they were broken.

"What do you want?" the man asked, gripping his gun tighter, as he sized up the group. A bead of sweat rolled down his face. He knew he was outnumbered.

"A chance." Rick said simply, holding his hands up to the man as to show him peace.

"That's asking an awful lot, these days." Said the man.

"I know." Rick admitted, dipping his head.

The man lowered his gun and resumed eyeing each member of the group. His eyes lingered over Daryl and Merle, then Shane. "You all submit a blood test. That is the price of admission."

"We can do that." Shane called to the man, "Can we get these doors shut?"

"If you have anything you need to bring in, you do it now. Once those doors shut, they won't open again." The man told the group firmly.

"We're good." Shane told him, holding up his pack.

"Alright then. Vi! Seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here." The group looked around gobsmacked as the doors behind them slid to a close. Andy heard the metal come together with a sound of clicks that could only be a solid locking system. "Follow me."

They followed the thin man toward an elevator, and he waited as they all clambered in, squeezing their few belongings in with them. The group stood in silence, a thick mixture of safety and fear in the small amount of air that surrounded them; there was no telling where they were, and whether they were finally safe. Andy felt a swoop in her stomach as the elevator began to descend. Andy stumbled backward slightly, only to be stopped by a firm set of hands on her shoulders. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. It was the second time Daryl had voluntarily touched her- the sweet sting of the electricity that surged through her body was almost uncontrollable. They continued to travel down and down, it was the longest Andy had ever stood in an elevator, she was beginning to sweat. Finally, they came to a stop, and she rushed out swiftly, eager to regain her own personal space. She chanced a glance at Daryl, who was now (as always) preoccupied by his shoelaces.

"Rick Grimes." Rick stated, finishing the silence with an outstretched hand. The man took it gingerly, and shook.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner. You can call me Jenner." He addressed the entire group.

"Doctors always go roun' packin' heat like tha'?" Daryl questioned, an eyebrow raised. Behind him, Merle laughed.

"There was plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look pretty harmless." Merle laughed harder. "Except for you," he said, nodding towards Carl, "I'll have to keep my eye on you!"

"Are we underground?" Carl asked Jenner, smiling up at him.

"We are. No need to be claustrophobic here, we are safe for now." He told the child.

"Where are the workers? The scientists?" Shane asked. He had walked over to the railing overlooking the huge work space. Each computer screen was dark, each seat empty.

"I'm all that's left, I'm sorry." Jenner replied sadly.

The group exchanged looked, each face scared, saddened, disappointed. Rick hung his head.

"Who is Vi?" Sophia asked the doctor, "You spoke to someone called Vi."

"You're right." The doctor told the little girl, crouching down to her level. "But she is just a computer, watch… Vi? Bring up the power in sector five, and please welcome our guests. Sophia's eyes widened as each light around then pinged to life. The group jumped in unison when a robotic voice spoke from nowhere.

" _Welcome, guests."_

"Cool!" Sophia and Carl beamed together.

"Now please, can we get these tests done?" Jenner asked. Each member nodded, following the doctor in to a small room where he washed his hands and snapped on a pair of latex gloves.

The group lined up and one by one, Jenner took a sample of their blood. Andrea was last up, she held her arm outward. "What's the point? If any of us were infected, we'd be running a fever." She said.

"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you guys in here, please, just let me be thorough." Andrea shrugged, unbothered, as Jenner tapped her arm and plunged the needle in to her skin. He pulled back on the syringe, drawing her blood in to the clear plastic tube.

"Woah." Andrea exclaimed, holding her head with her other hand, shifting her feet around to remain upright.

"Are you okay?" Jenner asked her, his face full of concern.

Jacqui came up behind Andrea, placing her hands upon her shoulders to keep her steady. "She hasn't eaten in a while. She had a difficult time, with- with the walkers."

"That won't do. You all check out, let's eat." Jenner told the group, sending a warm smile towards Andrea.

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"Eeeewww!" Carl exclaimed, sticking his tongue out. "Wine is discusting!" The table erupted with laughter. Lori patted her son on the back approvingly whilst Merle shouted "Gud job ya' didn' ask ta' try summa mine!" waiving the bottle of Jack Daniels he had been drinking from, everyone laughed harder.

Daryl noticed the solemn expression of the doctor. How long had this man been here alone? Daryl knew it must have been strange for him. It was strange enough for himself. Daryl caught Rick's eye and nodded over toward Jenner. Rick saw what Daryl saw, and stood up, clinking his fork against his wine glass, silencing the table.

"Doctor Jenner, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Thank you for feeding us tonight, thank you for reminding us what it feels like to be drunk an merry! Thank you for trusting us, and above all, thank you for saving our lives. My wife, my son. I will never be able to repay you for that."

"HEAR HEAR!" T-Dog called, raising his glass and draining the remainder of his drink. Rick followed suit, and soon the entire table was raising their glasses (or in Merle's case, bottle) in a toast to the man that saved them.

Jenner smiled a small smile, "There is no need, it was the right thing to do."

"But you did it." Andy told him, placing a reassuring hand over his. She smiled at the doctor, and he smiled back. Daryl tightened his grip on his glass as he watched Andy take her hand away and continue with the festivities.

The group drank and talked for a while longer before a slightly tipsy Shane asked the question everyone had had on their lips. "So what happened? To the others?"

The group fell silent, all eyes turned towards Jenner.

"Shane," Rick said nudging his friend, "Not now, we're trying to celebrate!"

"Why not now?" Shane questioned. "That's why we came here wasn't it? To get the answers?"

Rick made to speak once more, but Jenner cut him off. "It's okay… When things got bad, most people left, to be with their families. When things got worse, people just… opted out…"

"They left too?" Jacqui asked.

Jenner smiled at her sadly, "No one would have walked through those doors. We had a high suicide rate towards the end." He looked downwards and Daryl saw Jacqui reach across the table to hold the doctors hand in comfort. He felt nothing. "Now." Jenner said, composing himself, "We can't leave on a low note… accommodation is just towards that corridor. There is enough rooms on this floor for you each to have your own living space, but there are two double sized beds in each room if any of you feel more comfortable together. Please try to keep the use of air conditioning, electric and hot water to only your needs."

"Wait!" Glenn said, standing up, "Did you say ' _hot water'_?!"

"I did, there are en suites with showers and tubs in each room, just please make sure you are rationing."

"No way! Amazing!" Glenn exclaimed, practically bouncing. Daryl cocked a smirk.

"Please, have a good evening, don't let me stop you from enjoying your night, I really am tired. Help yourself to the bar." Before anyone could say thank you, the doctor had strode off down another corridor. Leaving no time to waste, Daryl bee-lined towards the bar. He hopped over and searched the bottles. His hand clutched around the neck of his favourite bottle and he pulled it away from its neighbours, smiling.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Daryl whipped round to find Andy, hands on hips scowling at him.

"Wha woman?!" he asked her, confused. His confusion turned to realisation as he noticed her eyes lingering on the bottle of alcohol in his hand. "Southern Comfort?!" he asked surprized.

"It's my second favourite after Jack Daniels, and Merle made off with that before we ate!" she huffed. Daryl smirked, fighting the urge to laugh.

"Ya come from England to tha' Deep South of America, go to a bar with two rednecks an' expect tha' SoCo n' JD ta' be left on tha' shelf? Thought ya' were clever!" Andy stuck her tongue out at Daryl, only making him smirk more. He was already tipsy from dinner, and alcohol coursing through his body working like Dutch courage.

"Share?" she asked him, her eyes round with pleading.

"Ya' wanna' share wid' me?" Daryl asked, raising his eyebrows. Andy nodded, and Daryl nearly handed the bottle over to her, not caring if he got any of its contents. Lost for words, Daryl could only shrug.

"Come on, let's go find rooms. I'll shower, then I'll come drink you under the table." Andy told him walking away towards the accommodation. Daryl slid over the bar top and hurried after her retreating figure like a dog, he couldn't hold his laughter back that time.

"I'll believe tha' when I see it." He scoffed. She stopped outside two open doors, opposite to one another in the corridor, whirling around to face him. She took two steps, closing the gap between them. She ran a finger along the neck of the Southern Comfort bottle. Daryl tensed up, realising he wasn't the only one with a little Dutch courage.

"Prepare to be amazed." She winked, spun on her heel through the open door and closed it, not looking back. Daryl groaned, his blood hot and he pulled on his now too tight jeans.

"Shit." He muttered backing off in to his own room. He looked down at the bulge that had grown in his jeans. For the first time in months they had hot water, and Daryl needed a cold shower.

 _Hey guys._

 _For everyone following this story, please take my sincerest apology for the two weeks you had to wait for this chapter._

 _Life got in the way!_

 _Anyway, I hope you really enjoy the chapter._

 _Next time we have a lot to look forward to. We will (hopefully) be making some progression with Andy and Daryl's relationship, and we will be unveiling the 'bad guy' who I have decided to write up rather than going with the very obvious Shane bad guy story line._

 _Who do you think it will be?!_

 _Let me know what you think in the form of a review, and I will love you forever!_


	14. Chapter 13 - SOCO & JD (PART 2)

Chapter 13: SOCO & JD (Part 2)

Daryl raked his fingers through his filthy hair. Maybe he should shower… He shook his head, turning his head to take in his new 'room' for the first time. It was no different to the rest of the world. The feeling of being an intruder was long lost for Daryl. He felt nothing in particular for the past owners of the belongings he peeled through. He tossed a jacket across the room that held only a wad of ten dollar bills. Useless.

Daryl moved over to the bed and began opening the drawers of the bedside cabinet. His eyes widened in glee. "No fuckin' way." he mused pulling the carton of cigarettes out. He tore away the cellophane, pulled a packet free. He threw the carton on to the bed and flipped the lid off the cigarettes. He brought the packet to his nose, inhaling the sweet scent of the tobacco deeply. His fingers made to remove one from its packet, but his brain stopped him. He'd wait for Andy, share with her. It was only fair. Sighing, Daryl reopened the drawer and placed the cigarettes inside.

Daryl stood staring at the bathroom door grimacing. When was the last time he had showered? Weeks ago, months. He thought about Andy across the hall and his body reacted to his thoughts again. "Fuck sake!" he groaned in half rage, half arousal. Daryl marched to the shower, pinching his arm as he went.

The bathroom was large and blinding white in its cleanliness. It was a foreign thing to Daryl to see a room so… clean. He rummaged through the products on the tub edge and cursed at all the fancy scents of the shower gels. Regardless of his distain, Daryl threw off his soiled clothing, climbed in to the tub and turned the shower on. He sucked in a breath as the cold water splashed on his back. Slowly, it grew warm, and Daryl remembered what it felt like to be under the hot, calming water. It was so easy to forget his troubles here, surrounded by a thin sheet of steam. Daryl threw his head back, letting the water spill over his face. Blindly, he reached for a shower gel. He flipped the cap, squeezed more than necessary in to his palm and lathered himself everywhere. The scent of patchouli reached his nose and Daryl smiled contently, washing away the dirt, blood and grime of god knows how long.

When Daryl could finally bring himself to turn the shower off, he hopped out of the tub and grabbed a towel. He threw the towel over his head, drying his face and hair. He wrapped the towel around his waist and nosed through the medicine cabinet. His content smile grew wider when he found a toothbrush and toothpaste, the days of rubbing grass over his teeth seemed a life away. He brushed his teeth for a solid ten minutes, loving the way the menthol of the paste burned his mouth. He took a long drink of water and opened the door to the bedroom.

Daryl closed the door behind him.

"Hello, Daryl."

"ARGH!" Daryl yelped, slamming his back up against the closed bathroom door. "WHA' THE FUCK?!" he yelled at the intruder who was timidly sat on his bed.

Daryl immediately felt exposed. He pushed himself backwards, pressing his back against the door, wishing he could melt through. His right hand gripped the towel around his waist with a vice like grip, whilst his left did it's best to cover up his chest. He could feel the heat in his face. "I said, WHA'. THE. FUCK?" he shouted again, staring wild eyed towards the bed.

"I brought you some clothes." The woman said, patting her hand on a fresh pile of clothes next to her. "I found them in my room, I thought they would suit you. Look…" she began lifting a pair of deep blue jeans, she smiled from around the leg, "Do you like them?"

Daryl was lost. He couldn't move, he didn't know what to say. She stood up, moving towards Daryl at a slow pace.

"It's okay, you can change in front of me." Her voice dripped with flirtation that made Daryl's skin crawl. "I don't mind."

"Get out." Daryl hissed through his teeth.

"Come on Daryl, no one will know." She trailed a finger across his collarbone.

"GET OUT!" Daryl spat, causing the woman to jump back. His voice went deadly quiet. "Now."

Daryl watched as the tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at him once more, her expression weak. He kept his jaw set, his face hard. She turned away from him and left hurrying out the door. Daryl moved to the bed, shaking with rage. He considered putting the clothes on she had brought, but the taste of bile in his freshly brushed mouth told him to do otherwise. He threw the clothes from the bed and peeled through the wardrobe. Eventually, amongst all the smart formal wear, he came across a pair of old faded jeans. He pulled them on, not moving his towel from his waist, not risking more exposure. He shuffled through the business like shirts, finding a small pile of casual tees. He settled for a black acid washed shirt, faded on the front was 'Iron Maiden.' If he wasn't so mad, he would have grinned. What he would do to listen to some Iron fucking Maiden.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Andy took one last look in the mirror. She rustled her hair, not used to looking so clean. She had showered, washed her hair and face, cleaned her teeth and even shaved. She felt like a million dollars. She laughed remembering what a million dollars meant now. "Okay I feel like a million guns!" she giggled to herself.

Andy stepped into the corridor that separated her room from Daryl's. She felt nervous. She wasn't sure why. Taking a breath, she closed her door behind her, and nearly jumped in the air twice her height when she heard the shout from inside his room.

"GET OUT!" Daryl's voice carried through the closed door, and briefly, Andy was terrified he was talking to her. She span around, hands and back against her door, and started across the hall at his. She waited in baited breath. The door opened and Carol emerged, tears rolling down her cheeks, her lip quivered.

"Carol?" Andy asked, stepping towards the woman. Andy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off.

"Get away from me!" she snarled at Andy, venom in her words. Andy retracted her hand, staring towards Carol with a confused glare. "He doesn't want you, he told me. He was angry at me when I told him you were good together, he told me to leave." And before Andy could reply, Carol stalked off down the corridor.

Andy stood in the middle of the hall, between her room and his, dumbfounded. She thought Daryl had wanted to be friends. She thought she was finally getting somewhere with him; the occasional smile, the rare laughter. It was more than Andrea told her the group was used to. She chewed on her lip deliberating. She looked back down the hall and furrowed her brow as she saw Carol's head whip around the corner. She was watching. Why?

Andy decided she could only find out for herself. She closed the gap between herself and the door in front and knocked.

"Don' even think 'bout coming in 'ere!" a pushy voice inside said.

"Why not, I want a drink and you've taken all of the good stuff!" she called back.

She stood at the door and waited for a reply, and was surprised to see the door open.

"It's ya'…" Daryl muttered, his voice trailing away.

"Who else would it be?" Andy asked the man, her eyebrow raised.

"Dunno." He grumbled, "No one, Merle maybe, dunno…"

"If you want me to leave, Daryl, I wi—"

"No!" he span around to face her. She blinked slowly, confused by his reaction. "No, stay. I gotta gift for ya' anyway." He walked to the bedside table and Andy threw herself on to the bed.

"I hope it's a drink." She muttered.

"Better." He replied over his shoulder.

"Nothing would suit me better right now than a drink, believe me." Andy sighed.

"Ya' sure" Daryl said holding a shiny box in the air. His mouth was pulled up in the corner to that smug smirk Andy secretly adored.

"No. Fucking. Way." Andy said, kneeling up and moving towards Daryl.

"'S wha' I said." He laughed back, throwing the packet lightly to Andy. She caught it in her hands, flipping the lid and laughing in awe at the full packet.

She couldn't help herself, she stood up on the mattress, bounded across the bed and threw her arms around Daryl's neck. She felt his body freeze to stone, but she was too happy to care about his physical contact comfort zone. Eventually she dropped her arms, and fell back on to the bed, sitting cross legged, staring up at Daryl. He was looking at the floor. The blush that had crept up his neck made Andy grin, whatever Carol thought, maybe she was wrong.

"I am so bloody glad I shared with you, Daryl Dixon." She told him looking up at him still. "Here, take one!" she offered, holding the packet up toward the man.

"Nah, got ma' own." His grin crept back across his face as he lifted the remaining one-hundred-and-eighty cigarettes.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" Andy yelled, falling backwards on the bed, laughing her head off. It was easy to be herself around Daryl. He was laughing as well. "Do you think we can smoke in here?" she asked.

"Like I give a fuck if we can'" he replied, pulling a cigarette from the packet with his teeth. "You got a light?" she giggled at his answer, maybe he was finding it easier to be himself around her too. She patted the spot on the bed next to her, and he replied with a finger in the air, signalling her to wait. Andy raised an eyebrow inquisitively. He walked off towards the sitting room/kitchen area. He came back with the bottle of Southern Comfort he had pillaged from Doctor Jenner's bar. "I believe I owe ya' a drink?" he asked, sitting next to Andy, peeling the seal away from the bottle.

"I believe you do." She replied, igniting her lighter and holding it out towards the cigarette between Daryl's teeth. He glanced at her through his damp hair doubtfully before he let go and leant towards her to light. She smiled sweetly, making him flush pink again. Trying to contain her the butterflies in her stomach, she pulled out her own cigarette, groaning in pleasure as she lit the end and took a long drag. She blew the smoke from her mouth, an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction consuming her. "This can't get any better." She sighed contently. Daryl nudged her shoulder with the base of the Southern Comfort bottle, and she took it, throwing the bottle back, taking a long swig. "I was wrong." She said, turning to Daryl, "It just got better."

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

They drank, they smoked and they talked. Daryl could feel himself easing up, his weight less with every drink. He was laughing, teasing, joking, and telling stories. He couldn't put a finger on the last time he felt so easy going. He could blame the alcohol, but he knew that was only part of it. The other part, the biggest part was her. Andy mesmerised him. She was halfway through telling a story of how a man had tried returning a crossbow once because he'd somehow managed to impale his ass on a bolt. She was giggling and hiccupping the entire time, swaying slightly and slurring some of her words. Daryl was no better, they had nearly reached the bottom of the bottle, and she had proved him wrong by keeping up. He was only half listening to her story, laughing in all the right places, paying more attention to her face, her body. His face flushed in heat, but he didn't care. She was beautiful. How had it taken him this long to realise? _It hadn't._ He had just chose to ignore it, chose to ignore everything that wasn't him or his brother. But he couldn't ignore it now, he couldn't ignore the care free way she laughed, or the way she impersonated the Georgia redneck complaining about his ass. Her story finished with a sentence that snapped him back to reality.

"If only I'd had more guys like you in the shop, wouldn-hic-wouldn't have been so bad." She looked at Daryl, her deep blue eyes glazed with the half bottle of SoCo.

"Nah, ya' wouldn' of looked at me twice b'fore all this." He said truth.

Her eyebrows knitted together in the middle, "Why would you say that?"

"'Cause it's true." He muttered.

Daryl felt embarrassed as a smile appeared across Andy's lips. Of course she would find the situation funny.

"You're so-hic- _stupid_!" she told him laughing.

Daryl scowled, he didn't think she would go so low as to tease him about it. "Thanks." He growled. She laughed again, making Daryl mad. "Look, if ya' gon' laugh a' me, I think we should call it a night."

She didn't stop laughing. "Daryl, you really are stupid. If I had met you before all of this, even seen you in the street, I would have turned my head and made it my mission to look at you more than twice!" she grinned at him, the alcohol giving her a confidence.

"Ya' don' mean tha'." He muttered, "Ya' drunk, woman."

"So are you!" she accused, pointing a finger at Daryl's face. Daryl's mouth twitched. "Ha!" she said as his face broke in to an unintentional smile. Shaking his head, Daryl drained the last drop of the bottle and placed it on the bed side cabinet. He pulled out two cigarettes and placed both in his mouth, fumbling drunk for his lighter. He found it on the bed, and lit the ends of both cigarettes. He removed one from his mouth, and held it out towards Andy. She took it with her left hand, and before he could reclaim his own hand, she took it within her right. He tensed up, still not used to the physical contact regardless of the alcohol. Daryl squeezed his eyes shut for a second, opening them and releasing a breath. He turned his head slowly towards Andy. She at, his hand in hers, fingers entwined, looking in to his eyes with a serene smile.

"Wha'?" he asked softly.

"Just looking again." She replied, squeezing his unsuspecting hand, making him tense up again briefely.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

They sat that way for a long while, smoking and talking, slowly sobering up. Neither one of them knew what time it was, and neither one of them cared. Their hands remained wrapped up within one another, and Daryl had subconsciously began to run the pad of his thumb along her palm.

"Can I stay?" Andy asked Daryl, making his thumb stop in its tracks.

"If ya' want." He told her, his body beginning to tense again, his hand beginning to sweat.

"What do you want?" Andy questioned.

"Stay." Daryl replied, his tone sure.

Andy squeezed his hand once more before she let it go. She pulled her knees up to her chin and scooted under the duvet. Daryl hesitantly followed suit. She pulled off her jeans under the covers, throwing then aside, making Daryl's nerves come crashing down on his head. He stayed fully clothed.

"You won't get too hot?" she asked him softly.

"No." He said curtly.

Andy knew better than to probe him. One step at a time. With caution, she shuffled over to his side of the bed.

"Wha're ya' doin', woman?" he asked gruffly.

"Shh." Andy demanded lifting his arm up and placing it around her shoulders. She rested her head in the fabric of his chest. "You smell nice." She remarked, "Patchouli." She inhaled with a smile as Daryl sighed.

"Fuckin' shower shit." He muttered. Andy laughed softly, placing an arm around the man's waist. She felt his body freeze once more, and began to run her thumb lightly over the fabric of his shirt. His body relaxed.

Andy was gone in minutes. Her small breaths turned deep quickly and Daryl knew she had fallen asleep. He didn't know how long he led there, glancing down at Andy in his arms. In _his_ arms. Eventually, sleep took him as well.

 _So there you have it!_

 _Now you know who my big group 'baddie' is! Mwa ha ha!_

 _I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it._

 _Whether you are a new reader or an old, thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think by leaving me a quick review. It would mean so much!_

 _As always, thank you to those of you that have either favorited or followed (or in some cases, both) my story. It makes me so pleased to know you guys are waiting for chapters and keep coming back to read._

 _As a heads up, next week I am going on holiday to Germany. I will do my best to post a chapter before I fly, but I can't promise anything!_

 _What I can promise is that I will get to writing a new chapter as soon as I'm home!_

 _I will be away for two weeks, so please don't be disheartened to not see any updates, as that is why!_

 _Thanks guys!_


	15. Chapter 14 - DAMN ANTI-CLIMAX

Chapter 14 DAMN ANTI-CLIMAX

The sound of silence stirred Daryl from his slumber. A moment of panic shot through him before he remembered where he was. He turned his head and squinted through the darkness. The movement awoke a dull ache in his temple and he groaned seeing the empty bottles of liqueur that sat on the bedside cabinet.

Daryl stretched, grumbling, his head spinning. He thought about the night before, how much had he drank? He froze. Andy stayed last night. Nerves rushed through his stomach like a storm. Daryl let out a slow quiet breath and turned his head to the other side of the bed. He squinted, and slowly crept his arm across the bed. Disappointment flooded through him as his fingers swept over the empty bed. Daryl laughed a dark laugh. So now he knew how it felt to wake up alone.

Daryl had only ever gotten close to women physically, and not by his own choice. His brother has always pushed him into bed with the drunken friend of the woman he had planned on sleeping with. Daryl would drink, drink until he was confident, and drink until he didn't care. He would stumble back to a drunk woman's house whose name he'd forgotten right after she'd spoken it, he would sleep with her and after he was done, he would leave. He would somehow make it back home, to his own bed and then he would wake up in the morning hating himself. The regret he felt every time would consume him. The pat on the back Merle would deliver him after he finally managed to get home would make him feel sick.

And now he knew what it felt like to be that person left in bed. He couldn't believe that it felt worse. Nothing had happened between them, but he had felt at ease. He could not remember the last time he felt so comfortable around another person. She had wanted to stay, she had pulled close to him and fallen asleep in his arms, and for the first time, he had had no intention of leaving. But she had left. He felt empty.

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Carol sat in the dining area of the CDC. She sat with Rick and Lori, eating nothing. She glared across the tables to see Andy sat alone, pushing her porridge around in the bowl. A grimace spread across Carol's face. She had seen Andy go in to Daryl's room last night, even after what she had said. She had lingered in that corridor for two hours, her fists clenched as the sound of their laughter echoed down the corridor and slapped her in the face.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the loud bellow of Merle greeting his younger brother, her head snapped up and she listened intently.

"Lookin' fragile there, lil' bro!" Merle laughed, slapping Daryl on the back. She watched Daryl scowl at his brother, shrugging off the contact. Merle strode off towards Dr. Jenner, asking of food, and she saw Daryl sit alone on a table, far from Andy. A smile crept across Carol's lips.

TWDWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Andy couldn't find the appetite to eat her breakfast. She had woken up in the early hours of the morning to find herself twisted around Daryl, her cheek resting on his chest, his arms holding her close. She had smiled, breathing in his scent, losing herself in the embrace. Her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt, and a sweet sigh has escaped her lips. In his sleep, Daryl had pulled her closer, and that is when it hit her. She was lying in bed with a man in the midst of the apocalypse. The world was literally crumbing around them, and there she was, selfish enough to only be thinking of herself. Slowly, she had removed herself from his warm hold. She'd crept out of bed, pulled on her trousers and jacket, and took one last look at Daryl. He was a different man in that moment. Even in the dark, she could see how smooth his face was, how content he was. She was so used to seeing his familiar scowl, and a sad smile appeared on her face as she turned and left.

Sighing, Andy shoved the bowl away from her.

"Hey suga', was' got your panties in'a bunch?" Merle laughed, sitting opposite her.

"Not now, Merle." Andy told the man. His smile died, he lowered his voice,

"Has Daryl done somethin'?" He asked, frowning.

"No!" she replied, a little too quickly. "No, it's not Daryl, just my own demons…" she trailed off, looking at the table. Merle turned to look at his brother sat alone in the corner, he was glaring over at them, their eyes met, and Daryl looked back down to his breakfast.

"Did'ya sleep togetha' or somethin'?" Merle asked, leaning forward.

"What has it got to do with you, Merle?" Andy snarled, looking back up to Merle, eyes burning. Her intimidating seemed to work the wrong way as Merle began to beam at her across the table.

"Haha!" he bellowed, "Some guys get all tha' luck! What'cha both sulkin' 'bout, wan' as good as ya' planned?" he laughed again and Andy reached across the table to hit his arm.

"Merle, shh!" she pleaded, "Look, nothing happened, we didn't sleep together!" she whispered frantically. Merle rolled his eyes, disappointed.

"Well thas'a damn anti-climax!" he whispered back, "Why'ya so fuckin' grouchy then girl? Why'ya and Daryl glarin' at eachotha'?"

Andy's cheeks flushed as another wave of guilt washed over her, "I left him." She muttered, ooking down at the table again.

"Whatcha' mean ya' left him?" Merle asked, serious now.

"I did stay with him last night, but nothing happened. I stayed over, and I left before he woke up." Her face got redder as she looked back up at Merle, full of shame.

"Thas' it?" Merle asked.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"All ya' did was leave early, and ya' both actin' like a couple'la teens?" he laughed again, "Looks, Daryl jus' ain't used to it- this. He's gotta temper, probably got it from me, ya can't go ignorin' him and that jus' cause ya' got cold feel about your sexless fuckin' slumber party!"

Andy looked over at Daryl, he was looking at her, staring, but as soon as their eyes met, he broke the contact.

"He migh' seem like'a tough bastard, but he's been through shit, yeah? We all have, jus' take it slow with him." Andy did not reply as Merle stood up and trudged towards his brother.

 _I am so, so, so sorry for the major delay in this chapter._

 _And I am really sorry it's a short one._

 _I have been away for three weeks, and unable to write._

 _I will be getting back to my regular Wednesday writing from next week._

 _Hope you enjoy this bit, sorry it's so short!_


	16. Chapter 15 - I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE

Chapter 15 I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE

Two days passed. Each time Andy's path had crossed Daryl's, she had opened her mouth to speak, to apologise, but no words had come out. Each time Daryl had either scowled or shook his head at her. She felt awful.

She looked across the room now to where Daryl stood. He looked up at the screen with everyone else. Dr Jenner had been showing them his research, trying to explain what he could of the ruined world. Andy knew she should have been paying attention, but she was unable to tear her gaze away from Daryl. She smiled without thinking as she studied his furrowed brow, his arms folded, confused by the video before them. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she turned her head to see Carol glaring at her, her eyes narrow, her lips thin. Andy's small smile vanished, replaced by a confused look not unlike Daryl's. What was Carole's problem with her? She didn't understand. Shaking her head slightly, she sighed and turned to the video on the wall just in time to see a bullet immobilize the x-ray like image on the screen. Andy jumped, she should have been paying attention.

"What was that?" Lori asked the Doctor.

"A shot." Shane replied before Jenner could answer.

"Correct" he said, "She volunteered to be monitored through the change, she knew she would have to die after the change was complete." Jenner spoke in a small voice, his voice cracking. She had remembered him telling the group this patient had been his wife before he had stupidly stopped paying attention to the video, and paying attention to Daryl instead. Andy couldn't imagine how difficult it must be to watch the footage over again.

Andy balanced on the balls of her feet as she watched the group disperse. She watched Carl, Lori and Rick huddle together and walk towards the library, Dale and Glenn not far behind. Jacqui had walked to the Doctor, lending his some comforting words. Andrea had started to cry, Andy made to walk forward, but before she had taken one step, Shane had placed a protective arm around the woman, and was comforting her, guiding her from the crowded room. When did that happen? Andy made a mental note to grill Andrea when she felt more like herself. She was happy Andrea had someone to sympathise with her, right now, Andy didn't want to think about anyone else's problems whilst hers were causing its own grief. She turned her head to see Merle rummaging behind the bar again, she grinned and he pulled a bottle of spiced rum from beneath the counter beaming at his own find. He scurried off, clearly not wanting to share. Carole lingered across the room, her watchful eye still upon Andy. Not being able to take it, she began to make her way back to her room. She did not break eye contact with Carol until there was little more than a foot between them. "Is there something on my face?!" she hissed at the woman, and stormed off down the hall before she had the chance to reply.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Daryl could feel eyes on him as he waited for the room to clear. Merle had the right idea, drown his concerns in the bottle. But Daryl had only managed to shift his hangover the day before. If it wasn't enough he had felt like shit after that night, the two day hangover really put the cherry on top of a bad couple of days.

Daryl knew Carol had been watching him, he had caught her a couple of times, and she had averted her eyes quickly, pretending to yawn or something to distract from the fact she had been staring. Daryl was no stranger to being looked at, he had always hated it. He hated how Carol was looking at him now. It was not a look of lust, but a possessive look, like a Mother watching her only son do something dangerous. Daryl glanced sideways, shooting a quick scowl in her direction. In the three days they had been in the CDC, he had not once seen the woman paying any attention to her own daughter, Sophia. Daryl suspected Rick and Lori had noticed this too, as the girl had been spending all of her time with them and Carl. Daryl had also notice the sharp glares Carol had been giving Andy. It seemed Andy had noticed them too, as he watched her walk to the woman, say something he couldn't hear and retreat down the corridor towards the rooms. He studied Carol afterward, she leant on the wall behind her, staring down at her shoes, wringing her hands in her legs. What was going on between the two of them? Hadn't Andy been the one to stand up to Ed that day back at camp? Did it have anything to do with him..?

Daryl acted without thinking, he paced forward, following Andy from the large room, not turning his head once in Carol's direction. He walked briskly, catching up with her. He reached out, and placed his hand on Andy's shoulder to turn her around, "Hey!" he grumbled.

She span around, her eyes wide, "Daryl, you made me jump!" She exclaimed, "So you're talking to me now?" she accused.

Daryl snatched his hand back and glared at Andy. He had no idea what he wanted to say, he wanted to ask why she had left, wanted to ask if their time together meant anything to her…

"Na'." he muttered, and stalked past her towards his room.

"Hey, Daryl!" Andy called, standing confused by the encounter. Daryl made himself ignore her, reaching his room and yanking the door open before slamming it shut.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

"Not gonna happen, Dixon." Andy whispered under her breath as she walked to Daryl's room. She pulled the door open and found the man sitting on his bed, head in his hands. "Daryl?"

"Wha' the fuck?" he asked, standing.

"What the fuck, me?" Andy asked, her voice frustrated, "What the fuck, you! What was that about back there, you wanted to say something to me!"

"Na' I didn', it ain't important, jus' leave it." Daryl growled walking around Andy to the door, hinting at her to leave. Stubborn as ever, Andy sat on the bed, pulled her legs up in to her arms and stared up at Daryl, raising an eyebrow. Part of Daryl wanted to smile at the sight of her, but his scowl remained fixed upon his face.

Any patted the bed next to her, inviting him to sit. He remained poised by the door and she sighed. "Fine." Andy grumbled. "I'll wait."

"Wait for wha'?" Daryl growled at her, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

"For you to tell me what your problem is!" Andy said, exasperated. Daryl scoffed in reply. Andy threw her arms up, shrugging melodramatically. Daryl shook her head at her, and took two small steps forward.

"I jus' wanna' know why ya'- why ya'- na' I can't, don't worry, it don't matter anyway." Andy watched the man stutter as he raked his fingers through his hair. A fresh wave of guilt sloshed within Andy and she stood up, walking silently towards Daryl, who was now staring at the floor. She felt his body freeze beneath the hands she had placed on his chest. She moved a hand to lift his chin, he flinched away from her touch. The rejection made her wince.

"I didn't want to leave." Andy muttered, looking at the top of his head.

"Then why did'ya?" he muttered back, eyes still on the floor below.

"Because… Because, I felt selfish. I felt like- like I shouldn't be allowed to have this when everyone else had nothing. Amy died only days ago, and I haven't even thought about it." Andy clenched her jaw, determined not to cry. Daryl slowly raised his head and their eyes met.

"It's not cause' of me?" he asked shyly.

"It's all because of you, Daryl." She replied slowly. Somewhere in the time their eyes had locked, they had moved closer, Daryl had backed up against the doorway, Andy had followed, her hands still firmly upon his chest. Andy looked in to Daryl's eyes and watched them soften, they were so close now, her thigh brushing up against his, their breath mingled in the small space between them. Her breathing became uneven, desire washing over her…

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Daryl's heart pumped frantically. He was sure she could feel his elevated pulse beneath her hands. A blush crept up his neck and on to his face. He stared in to her eyes, they changed somehow, invited him in. His hands were by his side, clenched in to fists. It took every ounce of will power he had to keep them tightly balled at his sides, to not reach for her waist, her face, to brush her hair.

Need pulsed through Daryl's body as he felt her leg press up against his, her lips parting slightly as if she was going to… Slowly, Daryl opened his hands, his breaths coming short and fast. She leant forward-

The room plunged in to darkness with a loud groan, Andy screamed, her gentle hands now gripping the fabric on Daryl's shirt frantically.

"Daryl, what's going on?!" she stuttered, panicked.

"Getcha' stuff." Was all he replied, "Meet me back here in five minutes, no longer!" she nodded through the darkness in response and wrenched the door open as Daryl moved around his room, throwing things in to a bag.

They had been so close, so close to what Daryl had known deep down that he's wanted for weeks. All of that didn't matter now, all that mattered was keeping her safe. He threw his bag on to his back and picked up his crossbow from the corner of the room. It was too good to be true, he thought, to feel safe in a world like this. Safety didn't exist. Daryl made to move in to the corridor and collided with Andy on the way out.

"Ya' got everything?" he asked her.

"Yeah, everything!" she replied, and before he could think, he pulled her hand in to his and launched down the corridor towards the main room.

 _I felt real bad about delivering such a tiny chapter this week after you guys had to wait so long for it, so I got up early to get one written before work!_

 _I hope you like this chapter, I wanna say thanks to all the new followers and favourites!_

 _I also want to say a special thanks to lilnightmare17, who has been reviewing every chapter, which means so much to me!_

 _Also a thanks to Squishy97, SilverGhostKitune, Whokisses and shmalana for your kind words!_

 _Please keep reviewing this story, I would really appreciate it!_

 _I want to give a quick disclaimer, I'm sorry if there are any grammar or spelling errors in this chapter as I have not had the chance to proof read, so I hope everything is in order!_

 _Stay tuned! xx_


	17. Chapter 16: COUNTDOWN TO DECONTAMINATION

CHAPTER 16 "COUNTDOWN TO DECONTAMINATION"

The pair flew blindly through the darkness. The shouts from other members of the group echoed towards them, they moved forwards, following the frantic voices, Andy running her fingers along the wall keeping them straight.

"DARYL? DARYL!" Merle's voice surged toward them, making Daryl's grip on Andy tighten.

"MERLE? MERLE, WHERE ARE YA? WHATS GOIN'- AHH!" They were stopped in their tracks, colliding with a fleshy figure in the darkness. Andy and Daryl were knocked apart, their hands losing one another, but before Andy could react, a flame illuminated the face in front of them, Daryl's arm outstretched, lighter in one hand, knife in another. Daryl and Andy released a long breath in unison. Merle stood before them, grinning down at Andy still bundled on the floor.

"No time for a nap, Brit!" Mere joked, offering a hand. Andy took it and pulled herself up, not finding any amusement in Merle's mirth, something was not right.

"Do you know what's going on, Merle?" Andy asked, squinting.

"Nah, I was jus' 'bout to get a drink, n all tha' lights went out." He grumbled. A loud groan rippled through the walls, and red light bounced off their faces and the walls, casting eerie shadows across the corridor.

"'Bout time." Daryl muttered, flipping the lid of his lighter back over and stowing it in his pocket. His knife remained out.

Andy walked forward, beckoning the brothers to follow. "We need to get to Jenner." The Dixon's followed hot on Andy's heels, making their way to the main room of the CDC and towards the panicked voices of their group within.

"Jenner! What's goin' on?!" Daryl bellowed as they neared the doctor. Jenner was sat on his desk, a glass of red wine in one hand, his other pinching his head above his nose.

"I told you." He muttered, barely audible.

"Speak up, doc, or I'll beat it outta' ya'!" Daryl yelled, pacing towards the doctor. Rick's hand emerged holding Daryl back, Shane not far behind; Daryl shrugged them off. "Well? WELL?!"

"I told you! I told you when you got here, once these doors close they would not open again!" Jenner screamed, throwing his wine to the ground. Andy whipped her head around, taking in her surroundings. Two impenetrable looking steel doors were closed, two doors Andy had not seen closed before during their stay. Behind her, the men were arguing with Jenner, begging for him to open the doors. The argument seemed go on forever, and Andy continued to analyse the room around her. Everything seemed worse in the dull red light, more emergency, more terrifying. Grimacing, Andy eyed the large clock above her, counting down.

00 00 36 45 02

"What does this mean?" Andy asked, watching the clock continue to drop. No one replied, and she turned on her heel frowning.

00 00 36 10 08

"I asked what this means!" she said a little louder, stomping towards the group of bickering men.

00 00 35 45 00

"I SAID, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!" she screamed, throwing her arms in the air. The men turn towards her, bewildered by her outburst. Her arm was shaking as it pointed towards the forever dropping clock.

00 00 35 00 00

"It's a countdown." Jenner pointed out, coolly.

"I can see that!" Andy snapped, "What is it counting down?!"

The doctor bristled at her tone, his face contorted as he contemplated what to say.

00 00 34 12 09

"It's how long is left." He stated calmly.

"Left of what?!" more than one voice questioned Jenner, each one as aggressive as the last.

"The end." He said simply, reaching for the bottle.

"Fuck that!" Daryl bellowed, hopping over the barrier. The group watched in hope as he punched out the glass of the fire evacuation case, pulling out the axe within. Andy watched the man as he hurled the axe with all of his might into the steel, grunting with each swing, making no damage at all. Andy turned to the doctor, looking at him as he rolled his eyes at Daryl's actions.

"Let us out." Andy pleaded with Jenner, thankful for the group's attention briefly focused on Daryl. Glenn, Merle, Shane and Rick had all moved forward to help, throwing all of their strength in to the doors.

"No."

" _Please!"_

"No. There is no way out now. When the clock runs down, this will all end. All of this pain, this suffering, this world. You, me, your group. Don't worry, it won't hurt. It will be over before you know it, and we will see all those we have lost once more." Jenner swigged the wine from the bottle, and Andy chewed her lips nervously, looking up at the countdown.

00 00 21 45 09

" _Please_ " Lori pleaded, stepping between Andy and Jenner, "We have children here, _children_!"

"And what future is left out there for those children?" Jenner replied indifferent, shrugging his shoulders.

"That is not your decision to make, Doctor." Andy growled. Bang after bang pounded through Andy's ears as the men tried unsuccessfully to breach the solid metal, the luminous numbers of the countdown branded under her eyelids each time she closed them, Daryl's threatening shouts becoming unintelligible under his aggressive Southern slur. Andy would have smiled. Would have.

"I am going to give you one more chance to open this door." Andy toyed with the edge of her bow slung across her shoulder.

"Or you're going to kill me?" Jenner replied laughing, "Be my guest." He chuckled again, drinking deeply from the now near depleted bottle of wine.

00 00 18 56 08

Lori had started to cry. Andy could see from the tension in her face that she had been trying her best to hold it in for the sake of her son, but it seemed the inevitable coming of their deaths was too much for the mother to handle. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, her hands combing through Carl's hair. Carl clutched his mother's legs, crying twice as hard. The picture of the pair, mother and son, using their last moments to be together sent a pang of pain through Andy's chest. She snapped. She rushed forward at an alarming speed, she snatched the doctor's bottle from his loose grip and threw it against the wall. Before Jenner could react, he was on the floor, pinned down, knife at his throat. The red emergency lights swirled in his vision, the tingling sensation of the alcohol flooding his system from the sudden movement. He locked eyes with the girl above him.

"Are you really the type of man that would deny a mother and her child the right to live? The right to choose?" Andy spoke in a tone so quiet, it was deadly. "Who the fuck are you to decide? You let us in. You gave us hope. You allowed us to realise there are still some good people left in this world! Where is that man now? Where is he?" Jenner swallowed the thick lump that had appeared in his throat, he had nothing to say. "You are nothing more than a coward." Andy sneered. She removed the knife from his throat and left him lying on the ground speechless.

Andy made to walk down the staircase, if they were going to die today, so soon, she would do it side by side with the men who had accepted her. She locked eyes with Daryl from across the room briefly. The small moment of eye contact between the pair spoke of a thousand unsaid words, a hundred memories never to be made, the light of life to be snuffed out. Andy sniffed hard, determined not to make her final minutes those of suffering. Suffering was a choice, after all, and she would choose to be happy with those she was beginning to call her family.

"Nice try British." Merle exclaimed with a sad smile. The expression broke Andy's heart, the ever beaming, joking, obnoxious person that was Merle defeated. That did it, she could not help it. The tears fell.

" _ **Countdown to decontamination T-minus ten minutes."**_

Sadness, silence, noise. They each dealt with the truth in their own way. Daryl resumed battering the impregnable doors, Merle joined, not as if to escape, but as if to die side by side with his brother. Carl and Lori continued to sob, joined now by Rick, the three of them clutching one another forcefully. Jacqui had moved to Jenner, and had helped him back in to his chair. She seemed ready. Andrea paced, an unmade decision in her eyes. Shane and Dale watched her with concern. Carol had curled herself in to a corner, her daughter holding her close. T-Dog had been muttering a long list of profanities before he settled on, "Fuck it." and picked up where he left off on the doors, smashing against them with all of his strength. Glenn, like Andy, just sunk to the floor and stared at nothing.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

The sight of the group was too much to behold. Did he think he was God? No. There was no God. No God would take his wife away from him. His beautiful, smart, loving wife. What kind of God would take a woman like her and leave him behind? _One with a sense of humour._ He thought bitterly.

Maybe the girl was right. Maybe he did not have the right to decide for them. What if they could survive? What if there was someone else like him out there still working to figure it out? No. That was a crazy dream that died long ago when they had lost communication with France. No. He would die tonight. He would die today. He glanced up at the countdown.

00 00 07 54 07

He would die in just shy of eight minutes time.

He closed his eyes, releasing all of his worries away in a breath. He slowly peeled back his eyelids and cast one more glance over the broken group before him before reaching for the control panel and tapping in the eight digit code.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Daryl put all of his might in to one last swing. Defeated, he finally dropped his weapon and spun around on the spot seeking out the eyes he didn't realise he was looking for. She sat only feet from him, cross legged on the ground, her eyes red from tears he had not seen spill over. A wave of guilt washed over him. He should have comforted her. He should have used the last minutes of their lives to tell her he had felt something. He had no idea what it was, but he knew it was something. Yet still he remained rooted to the spot, losing himself in the darkness of her deep blue irises. Unable to move forward, Daryl sunk to the floor. He pulled his knees to his chin and refused to break eye contact. The last thing he would do in this life would be looking in to her eyes. The corners of Andy's mouth crept up in both a heart-warming and breaking smile. Her stare softened, and she patted the space beside her. Daryl was instantly transported back to the first time she had offered his a seat. The first time he had felt acknowledged by another member of the group that wasn't Merle. Daryl stood, and placed on foot forward before a deep groaning metallic sound made him freeze.

Andy's eyes had widened to saucers, and before Daryl knew it, she had scrambled on to her feet and came barrelling in to him, clutching his hand, dragging him along. She reached out with her other hand to grab Merle, keeping each of the brothers in a vice like grip.

"You will have to be fast, get as far away from here as possible. Once the building blows, the explosion will be gigantic." The doctor stood with his eyes closed and head bowed, his expression solemn.

"Thank you." Rick stuttered before throwing Carl in to his arms and pulling Lori in tow. The group began to move when a cry broke their focus.

"MUM, come on! Please Mummy, we need to go! Please!" Sophia was pulling at her mother's arm, tears gleaming her ivory cheeks. Carol merely shook her head and shrugged out of her daughter's grip.

"Go on without me, Sophia." Carol said to the floor, "I am no good for you, call Lori Mummy." Sophia sobbed harder, screaming for Carol to come, pleading and begging.

"YOU ARE MY MUMMY. YOU ARE! PLEASE MUMMY! PLEASE!" the girl screamed, making Daryl wince.

"Merle, grab the kid!" Shane called to the eldest Dixon, nodding towards Sophia. Merle nodded his head to Shane before pulling the screaming girl away from her Mother and hauling her over his shoulder. She kicked, she screamed, she bit and she scratched, but Merle did not let her go.

"Ya' comin' with us, whether ya' like it or not, woman." Daryl growled at the sagging physique of the woman on the floor, "This ain't for your sake, this is for ya' little girls sake, ya hear? Not get up!" Daryl heaved Carol up, and she held her weight. Andy, despite her niggling feeling about the woman, rushed forward to help her out.

" _ **Countdown to decontamination, T-Minus five minutes.**_ "

"CAN WE PLEASE GET GOING NOW!?" Glenn yelled, mentally slapping the group into action.

"I am staying."

"Wha-?" The group collectively turned on their heel to see Jacqui stood side by side with Jenner, deep sorrow set in to her hazel eyes.

"I am staying, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. This is it for me. I am ready. I am sick of running, sick of being scared to close my eyes, scared to live another day, scared to survive. Please, go on without me, don't mourn me; remember me as the one who chose."

No one said a word, but instead poured emotion to Jacqui through their eyes. Dale made to speak up, but Jacqui did not let him, "There is nothing to say. I love you all. Thank you for everything. Now go."

" _ **Countdown to decontamination, T-Minus three minutes.**_ "

" _GO!_ "

And they went.

THREE MINUTES

"Come on, we need to move!" Who said that? Was it Shane? Andy was not sure. She ran, ran as fast as her legs could carry her, clutching to Daryl and Merle, almost dragging them along with her.

TWO MINUTES

"There! The door!" Glenn called from the front. Andy focused on the light beyond, get there, get there, get there.

ONE MINUTE

The group tumbled out of the doorway, Rick standing behind, ushering each person out. "GET TO THE CARS!" he called, counting the heads of his group before following. Andy pulled the men along with her, her shins screaming, sweat gleaming off her forehead. Glenn made it to the RV first. Wrenching the door open, he held it open whist people piled in. Andy veered off to the left, pulling the brothers in tow, "The car!" she called, a squeeze on each of her palms confirmed they had heard her. Merle dropped Andy' hand and pushed himself to go faster, ripping the back door open for his brother and Andy before diving in to the front seat.

Daryl pushed Andy in to the car first, jumping in after her. She had grabbed his hand again, and before she could think, he had climbed above her and was pushing his weight down upon her, shielding her. His hand clutched hers tightly in response to her firm hold, she was certain there would be crescent shaped indents on Daryl's palm, if not blood.

Andy braced herself for the explosion, grasping Daryl's jacket with her other hand. She inhaled deeply, patchouli, tobacco and fresh sweat danced around her nostrils. She forced herself to think only of those scents as the explosion sounded, making the ground beneath them quake.

 _Guys!_

 _I am again so sorry for the delay, I hate making excuses, but I am super busy with a house move at present. I am really hoping I can get back to a chapter a week soon!_

 _I hope you liked this chapter- I kept some bits true to the original story, and some I tweaked!_

 _This week I do not have time to reread this chapter, so I sincerely hope there are no grammar or spelling mistakes!_

 _Also, I am really thinking about writing a Draco Malfoy/OC fic… Would anyone be interested in that? I don't want to go for the classic Muggleborn route, but something a little different! Please let me know if you would read this!_

 _As always, thank you to anyone who had followed, favorited or reviewed this story!_

 _Pretty please, leave a quick review to let me know what you think!_

 _x_


	18. Chapter 17 - GRAVEYARD

Chapter 17: GRAVEYARD

Daryl's insecurities vanished in that moment. All he could comprehend was to survive. Protect. Survive. He pressed his body with an urgency in to Andy. The explosion shook the world around them, the sound erupting through Daryl's brain. He held on to Andy, his grip like a vice. When the building had finished falling, an eerie quiet surrounded them. Daryl snapped in to focus when his brother's hand clapped his shoulder, "We're okay, 'lil brotha!'" Merle's words shifted Daryl in to gear. Quickly, he pulled his weight from Andy and moved himself as far away from her as possible. It was then, he noticed the sting in his palm. He stole a glance and noticed the small crescent indents there. He squeezed his hand shut and shook his head. The way she had clung to Daryl for her life had left him feeling confused. Did she really trust him that much?

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Andy blinked, the glow of the burning building glinting in her vision. She pulled herself up in her seat, instantly saddened by Daryl's hasty retreat. She glanced up at him through her bangs and noticed he had moved as far away from her as possible. Merle, as always, was there to lighten her mood. "Woo! Shit! Tha' was close!" he reached to ruffle Andy's hair, "Close as hell!" Andy looked across to Merle to see his famous toothy grin she loved. She truly came to terms with the fact that they'd survived then, as she was unable to stop herself from reciprocating. She beamed up at him and began to laugh. They were alive! Merle laughed with her and she wished Daryl would do the same. Just before she could say something to try and ease his mood, there was a sharp rap on the window.

"Merle, we have to get moving! Walkers are coming in from all over. We're going to head to Fort Benning, it's the only option at the moment!" Rick called through the window. Daryl made to move from the car.

"I'll ride." He grumbled. He didn't look back to Andy before leaving the car.

"Shit!" Rick moaned turning to make after Daryl. "Daryl…" he called reluctantly. Daryl turned to face the man.

"Yeah?" he grunted.

"Your bike…"

Daryl's posture changed and his brow furrowed. Andy and Merle hastily left the car in time to hear his shout, "Wha' 'bout ma' bike?!"

"Shhhhhit." Andy and Merle whispered a chorus of British and Southern.

"I SAID, WHA' 'BOUT MA' BIKE, GRIMES?!" Daryl was pacing now, glaring aggressively at Rick and scanning his head around, obviously looking for his ride.

"It's gone." Rick spoke solemnly, looking sadly at Daryl. "I don't know if it was caught in the explosion, of if someone took it before that whilst we were underground, but it's gone."

Daryl turned and kicked the car. "SHIT!" he kicked again, "FUCK!"

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The rumbling sound of groaning walkers was getting louder. Andy whipped her head around studying their exits. "Daryl!" she called sharply, earning herself a look full of hatred from the man. She nearly cringed away, but her adrenaline took over. "We don't have time to cry over a lost bike!"

"I ain't cryin'" Daryl spat in her direction.

Out of patience, Andy rummaged through her jeans pocket and pulled from within the keys to her Iron. She whistled, grabbing Daryl's attention once more, she dangled the keys at arm's length, cocking an eyebrow at his again, aggressive expression. "Here." She said, tossing the keys to Daryl who caught them in one hand, his face now changing into a look of sheer surprise. "Take mine. Merle and I will follow you." And with that she turned on her heel and got in to the driver's seat of the car. Merle, wearing an impressed and humoured expression, shrugged at his younger brother and made his way to the passenger side of the car. Daryl stood there for a moment, looking at the keys in disbelief.

"C'mon Daryl, let's go!" Rick shouted, running back to his car. He looked around, now aware of the incoming threat of the walkers.

"Shit." He muttered, mentally shaking himself and running to Andy's bike. He shoved the keys into the ignition, awaking the engine. He rolled past Merle's car, noticing his brother was still grinning patronisingly in Daryl's direction. Daryl scowled at his brother, and flipped the bird in his direction before speeding up and leading the group away from the burning ruins of the CDC.

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The drive was long.

Fort Benning was over one hundred miles away from the CDC, and with the group exhausted from the events of the day, they made their way slowly to their destination. More than once they had to halt their convoy to move abandoned vehicles from the road to get the RV through. Each time, they pillaged them for any supplies they could scavenge, and every time they had to dispatch the dead that lingered there. Not even half way to Fort Benning, the sky began to darken, leaving the group with a decision to make.

"I say we push on." Lori had said.

"Easy fa' you ta' say, you ain't been drivin' all day." Daryl had shot back at the woman. Rick and Shane had both sent him a dark glare, but Daryl shrugged them off, holding his hands up in fake surrender, "Jus' sayin'."

"Although I don't agree with the way he said it, I do agree with Daryl." Dale addressed the group, "It's getting dark, and it isn't safe for us to move in the dark. And I for one am getting tired, I'm sure the other drivers agree." Rick looked to the ground massaging his neck. "We could use a rest." He'd said, earning an annoyed glance from his wife.

Shane, hands on hips, looked around. He glanced at the road ahead, noticing the incline. "I suggest we get'a the top of this hill and then stop for the night. We will have a better vantage point from up there, we'll be able to see our surroundings." Andy clapped Shane on the shoulder, "Good idea, Shane."

"Hey, Daryl." She called over. He mumbled an unintelligible response, looking at the ground rather than at her. "You mind if I ride the rest of the way?" He shrugged again muttering "Whateva'" before walking to the car Andy had left, dropping himself on to the passenger seat and putting his feet on the dash.

Shaking her head, she removed the helmet from beneath the seat and put it on before mounting her bike and getting ready to move.

"Okay, let's get going before we lose the light." Rick called to the group. As everyone made their way to their vehicles, Andy moved her bike around to the front of the convoy ready to lead the way.

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Daryl lounged in the passenger seat of Merle's car, picking the dirt from beneath his fingernails with the tip of his knife. Merle had tried to engage in conversation more than once, but with Daryl being uninterested and unresponsive, he had given up.

Daryl hadn't noticed he had been watching Andy until she threw up her hand, signalling an emergency stop. He had absent-mindedly been watching her back as she rode ahead of them. Unintentionally, he remembered the first time he had ridden her Harley, her arms wrapped around his waist, the cool summer breeze of the evening cooling down his overheated, nervous face. A smile had started to creep on to Daryl's face just before she signalled the stop. Merle opened his mouth to complain about the halt, until the car reached the peak of the hill and they saw what led ahead.

Daryl stared ahead in disbelief. The road was a graveyard. Hundreds of cars filled the road ahead of them. They were all abandoned, doors open, rubbish everywhere as if the occupants of each vehicle had fled in a hurry. Merle had already left the car, but Daryl was still looking through the windscreen toward Andy and the wreck of cars around them. He watched her as she climbed down from her motorcycle and removed her helmet, shaking her hair. His eyes raked over her and as his gaze got back to her face, he realised he was looking back at him. Her eyes showcased a mix of fear and familiarity. He'd missed looking at her over the last few days, and he was aware it was all on him that he's not been able to. She was the first to break the eye contact as she turned to hang her helmet from the handlebars of her bike. She turned back to face Daryl and his stomach swooped as she motioned for him to come outside and join her, and Daryl now realised, the rest of the group.

Daryl made his way out of the car and towards the group. Everyone had been bickering about what they were supposed to do now, about the darkness, about turning back. Daryl switched off, looking around. There were a few other RV's dotted around here, as well as some larger cars. Maybe they could stay here for the evening, and get the cars moved in the morning when they had all had some sleep.

Andy watched Daryl with interest as he weaved through the first line of cars, looking around. She could practically se his mind working. She knew he was coming up with a plan. After a few moments, she watched Daryl lean against a car bonnet, his shoulders raising and dropping with a sigh. The group were still arguing with one another about all of the options. The children were growing restless as the adults fought with one another about their next decision. Andy walked towards Daryl. "Can I?" she asked, gesturing to the hood of the car.

"Mmhmm." Daryl replied quietly, looking back down at his shoes once again. Andy suppressed a chuckle, and sat down next to him.

"Tell them your idea." She said, looking sideways at Daryl.

"Wha?" he asked back, not looking up.

"Your idea. Tell them, I know you've got one." She said, nudging him playfully with her elbow. Daryl's expression lingered somewhere between humour and annoyance.

"Naw, they won' listen, jus' look at 'em." He nodded towards the hot-headed group.

"Then tell me." Andy turned her body to face Daryl, demanding his attention. He had no choice but to hold her gaze once more.

"Well it ain't rocket science. There's a ton o' RV's here, I dunno why no one has pointed it out yet. We've moved a shit load of cars on tha' way here, we can do it again, we jus' need ta' wait until tha' mornin'." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"Right on." Andy said hopping down from the bonnet.

"Wait, what'cha doin'?" Daryl asked defensively.

"I'm going to tell them your idea, Daryl." Andy told him, a small smile on her lips. "It's a good idea. Stop doubting yourself." She turned on her heel and strode in to the centre of the group clapping her hands together to gain their attention. Daryl watched her, impressed with how she had managed to silence even Rick, Shane and Lori, the regular ringleaders of confrontation.

"Guys." She began, her voice carrying to Daryl. "It's getting dark and arguing is going to get us nowhere but killed." Lori stiffened, clutching Carl and Sophia instinctively, staring daggers at Andy for her words.

"Andy..." Shane began, but she cut him off.

"No. It's true. I'm sorry if what I say scared you, or the kids, but it is how it is. If we continue standing around here whilst night comes yelling at each other, we are going to attract unwanted attention. Let's not intentionally ring the dinner bell! Now listen, Daryl has had a good idea-" Daryl saw a couple of people shift at these words, obviously not thrilled about the idea being his. He scowled "-and it's the best idea I've heard yet, better than you lot squabbling like teenagers. Look around. We have our RV, there's three more right over there, they are all close enough to each other that we can hear each other if we shout. Daryl suggested we split in to four groups, clear the RV's if we need to, then hold up there for the night. We can put a couple of people who haven't been driving on watch atop a couple of them, and then we can get to moving the cars in our way tomorrow morning when light is on our side. What do you think?"

"That's actually a good idea." Rick said, smiling at Andy.

"Well it was Daryl's." she replied, glancing back in the man's direction, sending him a warm smile.

"You're right." Rick said, striding towards Daryl. "Good job." He clapped the man on the shoulder, and Daryl made no sound of thanks. He was looking down at the ground again, clearly embarrassed. Andy's smile grew.

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Spending the night in the RV's apart from one another had not proved to be difficult. Merle had stabbed the one walker that had been lingering within one of the vehicles and thrown on to the concreate outside. Other than that, they had not encountered the dead all night. Andy had shared a bed in one of the RV's with Andrea. She had stroked her hair as she'd wept for Amy, then tucked her in as she fell asleep, exhausted. In the morning, the group had come together to make a plan to get the cars moved enough for their convoy to get through.

Dale had been chosen to sit on the roof of their own RV, keeping watch as the younger and more able members of the group moved cars. Daryl, Merle, T-Dog, Andy, Andrea, Rick and Shane got to work making a pathway, whilst Carol and Lori searched through the cars to pillage any items they could use. Lori had sent Sophia and Carl into the RV to keep them out of danger.

The sun was high in the sky, the Georgia heat beating down on them all. The heat was beginning to take its toll on them, and just as Andy couldn't ignore the rumbling in her stomach any longer, Lori saved the day with one word, "Lunch!" Sighing with relief, Andy and Andrea made their way back with the others and sat within the space they had cleared some two hundred meters away from the RV. The children had come outside as Lori and Carol handed out tins of fruit. They each took it in turns with a can opener, and Andy offered to bring up Dale's tinned peaches. She opened Dale's and her own and made her way to the RV and up the ladder to sit with the older man.

"Thanks, kid!" Dale exclaimed, taking the peaches from her. Andy smiled humbly back. Together they sat, Dale on a chair, Andy on the roof, legs dangling down. They ate in a comfortable silence, too hungry for conversation. That is when she heard it. Andy whipped her head around, standing up so suddenly, her tinned fruit fell from her hand and clanged harshly against the concrete below.

"Andy what-" Dale began, but Andy held a finger up to silence the man.

Andy walked to the edge of the roof, looking back the way they had driven in. She cursed herself silently for not keeping watch behind her. They had been so preoccupied on what lies ahead to even consider looking behind. Dale had begun to get up from his chair whilst Andy snatched the binoculars from the white surface of the roof. She brought them up to her face and took a deep breath before looking through, just below the top of the hill, a crown of walkers were ambling towards them. They moved as one, following one another and heading straight for them. Her heartbeat increased, her face paled in pure fear as she dropped down, pulling Dale down with her. It seemed the walkers were moving with no urgency, she was sure they had not seen her and Dale standing on the roof. "Stay down!" Andy hissed at Dale urgently, "I need to warn the others!" Dale made to grab her arm and she pulled it from his grasp. "No, I can't leave them! If I shout to them, the dead will know we are here! If we can get hidden, they will pass through." Dale looked into her eyes, and she looked back. He gave her a small smile and let her go. "Stay down." She told him once more, before descending the ladder as quickly and quietly as she could.

 _You have had to wait a couple of months for this, and for that I am so, so sorry._

 _Life has been hectic, and I have had a lot going on._

 _Please know, I have NOT abandoned this story. I am eager to get back to weekly chapters, in fact, I am starting the next one as soon as this is uploaded._

 _Thank you to all of you who have come back to read this chapter, and I really hope you stay for more._

 _Thank you for all follows, reviews, and favourites. I appreciate each and every one!_

 _Please take the time to give this chapter a review, I would love that!_


	19. Chapter 18 - NAMES' GREENE

Chapter 18 – NAMES' GREENE

Andy ran, her breaths coming short and fast. She reached the group panting, leaning ono her knees to catch her breath. "Walkers!" she whispered frantically. Sophia screamed. "No, shh!" she hissed at the child. "They don't know we are here, but they are heading this way! It's a herd of them! We need to hide, get under the cars, now! They will pass through without noticing us if we are quiet, quick!" Her gaze shot around the group as they hurried under cars. "Where's Daryl?" she asked no one in particular.

"He's moving cars up ahead with T-Dog, I'll show you where, let's go." Andrea whispered pulling her arm. Andy glanced back once more, making sure everyone was hidden.

"Remember to stay silent!" she said before the two women departed. The groaning of the dead was clearer now as Andy and Andrea moved as quickly as they could through the cars. She could hear T-Dog and Daryl up ahead moving cars, Daryl's gruff southern twang wrapping around curse words. They came to one of the RV's they had stayed in the night before. Andy stopped. "Andrea, get inside." She commanded.

"No, I can come with you."

"Andrea, please, I'll get Daryl and T-Dog and meet you in there, I promise." She pleaded with the woman.

"Okay, okay." Andrea surrendered, hurrying through the door of the RV. She pulled the door to, not fully closing it so the others could get in without making a noise. Andy pushed on, sweat rolling down her neck, from heat or nerves she wasn't sure. She released a sigh of relief when she saw the two men, she pushed herself harder, running full pelt at them and straight in to Daryl.

"Wha' the fuck woma-" he began before Andy clapped a clammy hand over his mouth.

"Walkers." She whispered, "Here now"

"Shit!" Daryl answered back, he listened carefully and heard the distinct sound of the dead he could not hear moments before. "Shit!" his curses were muffled, and he pulled Andy's hand from his mouth, pulling her towards him. "We need ta' move." He looked up at T-Dog, "Now." Daryl surged forward, pulling Andy along with him, her gestured to T-Dog to move round the back of a black SUV.

There they waited in baited breath. They were crouched low, backs pressed up against the car. Andy held tightly to Daryl, clutching the fabric of his shirt, trying her best to control her fear. She had never seen so many of the dead together. What made them come together like this? Why were they moving as one? They could hear the shuffling of the dead now. They could see the shadows passing. Worse, they could hear the dead groan, only paces away. Somewhere in the distance a cry echoed. Andy, Daryl and T-Dog look at each other with dread. _I'll go_ T-Dog mouthed to the pair. They both shook their heads, Andy leant forward, grabbing his arm. "You can't" she hissed, barely audible. When T-Dog made to stand, Andy pushed him back down and his body fell backward on to the car with a loud thump.

"Shit, woman!" Daryl hissed accusingly. He leapt forward, cupping Andy's face in his hands. "Ge' under tha' car, now. Don' move, don' make a sound. Now." He leant forward and leant his forehead on to hers for a swift moment. He pulled away, leaving Andy to scramble under the car. She watched from beneath the SUV, and saw a pair of rotting feet shuffling around the car. It had obviously heard Andy's mistake. She clamped her hand over her mouth to trap the sob that had escaped her lips, salty tears rolling down her face.

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Daryl placed a finger to his lips and mouthed a "shh" to T-Dog. He crept around the car in a defensive crouch, knife poised. He could hear the walker that had broken from the herd shuffling around the car, it was thumping on the windows as it circled round and Daryl's fear spiked when he heard the muffled sobs of Andy beneath. Daryl lunged when he saw the foot of the walker. He pulled the walker down to the ground by the collar of its filthy shirt and brought his knife down in to its brain. He reached under the car for Andy's hand and gave it a squeeze, she reciprocated, and he let go. He crept back toward T-Dog, certain the scuffle with the walker would entice more. T-Dog was looking right at Daryl, his knife in his left hand. The walker came around before they he could act. Daryl, wishing he had his crossbow, jumped forward, making an effort to stay low and avoid drawing more attention to them, he pulled T-Dog away, making to dispose of the walker, when he heard T-Dog cry out. Confused Daryl glanced around, T-Dog's blood was pooling on the ground, spilling form his forearm at an alarming rate. Daryl caught the walker as it fell, pushing his knife through the base of its skull. Taking the immobile corpse, he covered T-Dog, pressing his finger to his lips once more. He crawled to the body of the first walker he'd dispatched and led sideways, parallel to the SUV. He pulled the body over himself and flung his arm under the car, Andy took a hold of it immediately, digging her nails in to his skin, pulling herself closer to him. Daryl held his palm up, signalling at her to stop. She settled for looking in to his eyes, studying the deep blue of his irises, trying to focus on anything but the now louder than ever sounds of the dead as they moved past Daryl and T-Dog.

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They led there for what felt like forever. Daryl and Andy not breaking eye contact once. After a measure of time Andy could not know, Daryl tapped his fingers against Andy's arm. "Stay here." He whispered, pulling his arm from her tight grip. She shook her head, but he looked at her once more, pleading with his eyes. Slowly, Daryl moved his arm away and rolled the dead body from his own. He brought himself back up into a crouch and looked around, waiting to see if the threat had truly passed. When he was sure it had, he pulled the body of the other walker from T-Dog and winced at what he saw. Blood had completely soaked T-Dog's shirt, what colour it was before, Daryl was unable to tell. He went back to Andy, lying down to help her out from beneath the car. When they both stood, Andy threw her arms around the hunter's neck. "Thank you." She breathed into his ear. He stood there, arms at his side. When she pulled away to look at him he spoke.

"'Ya the one ta' thank, we wuda' been dead without ya' warning." She smiled up at him, making Daryl's face hot. He placed his hands on Andy's shoulders and pushed her away slightly, focusing on T-Dog. "We need ta' get him back ta' the others. He's hurt. Bad." They pulled T-Dog up together, taking his weight on each of their shoulders and started making their way back.

They soon passed the RV Andy had left Andrea in. A pang of guilt shot through her as she remembered promising to come back. The guilt was replaced by fear when she saw the door of the RV open wide. "Daryl!" Andy said urgently, "Daryl, I left Andrea in there, the door was pushed to before!"

"Stay here." He muttered, helping Andy place T-Dog on the ground, "Keep watch."

Andy watched Daryl move cautiously across the threshold of the RV. She waited, fearing for him, faring for T-Dog, fearing for Andrea. Daryl emerged from the RV not long after, followed by a blood spattered Andrea. Andy's guilt was heavier than ever, so when Andrea came forward and pulled her into an embrace, she squeezed her back, realising then that this woman was her best friend in this fucked up world. Andrea pulled away, already forgiving Andy for the apology she had yet to give.

Together, the three of them supported T-Dog's weight and made their way slowly back to the group. Each of them praying nothing had happened. Andy couldn't help but remember the cry she had heard earlier.

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Sophia had gone. She had gotten scared under the car, and ran from the highway into the woods, followed by a group of walkers. Dale had told Andy that Rick had ran after her, only to come back an hour later empty handed. Andy couldn't help but wonder why Carol had not ran after he daughter herself. She knew her Mother would have ran in to a herd ten times the size if her life were at stake.

Carol had gone in to the RV's bedroom, closed the door and not allowed anyone access. The group decided they would set up search parties to look for Sophia immediately. Merle would stay to keep watch, Andrea to look over Carol and Dale to tend to T-Dog's arm, Carl (after a long argument between his Mother and Father) would go with Rick and Shane. Lori, reluctantly agreed to go with Glenn and Daryl with Andy would go together, both reunited with their weapons. Andy had suggested her and Daryl hunt whilst they searched, so at least if they didn't find Sophia, they could bring back food.

After marking which areas they would cover, the group broke off in to the woods. They had decided to meet back at the highway before sunset. They were to keep to knives as much as possible to not draw any attention, and only shoot if absolutely necessary.

Andy paced through the woods, Daryl close behind her. They walked in silence, and Andy kept glancing back to check Daryl was still there. She had never known someone to move so stealthily, his footsteps barely audible. A long while later, after managing to collect a half dozen squirrels, the next time she looked back, Daryl was looking at her already. "What'cha lookin' for woman?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Checking you're still there, you're so damn quiet!" she grinned at the man.

"'Ya could learn ta' be quieter, migh' catch somethin' before I get my bolt in first, then." He drawled. Andy span around, stopping in her tracks. Daryl made to move past her, and she placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He raised eyebrows.

"Are you insinuating you got to that deer before me, Dixon?" Andy questioned, her tongue resting on her cheek as she looked up at Daryl. Daryl's lips began to pull up on one side, a rare smirk that Andy couldn't help but smile back at.

"I ain't insinuatin' nothin', I'm sayin' I shot it first. Then ya' came along with ya' dead pals n' fucked it up." His smirk grew wider, Andy could tell he was trying not to laugh. Andy so wanted to hear him laugh.

Andy took her palm from his check and poked him with a finger, "I say _I_ shot the deer first, and _you_ came along and fucked everything up!" she poked him again, smiling. Daryl let out a chuckle, mocking offence.

"I know I ain't bein' outdone by no loud walkin' woman." Daryl countered, making to move past Andy again. She firmly planted her palm across his chest again stopping him from moving past, she could feel his heart beating fast. She could feel her face blushing, but she pushed aside the nerves, "I know I'm not being outdone by no angry American!" Daryl laughed for real then, grabbing Andy's hand and turning her around to face away from him. He leant forward and whispered in to her ear, "Watch me, ya' migh' learn somethin'." And with that he strode in front of her rubbing his silent footfalls in to her face.

"Bloody ballerina." Andy muttered, still smiling widely.

"Heard tha', stomp." He called back raising his middle finger back at her. She laughed and jogged to catch up, colliding in to Daryl's back when a gunshot echoed throughout the woods making him stop.

Immediately, Daryl span around looking over Andy, "Did- Did- Did you?!" he stammered.

"No, it wasn't me, and I'm fine. I don't know where it came from!" she replied, worried. Daryl pulled her down in to a crouch before replying.

"Coulda' come from anywhere. Sounds jus' bouncin' off tha' trees." Then they heard him. A strangled cry from whom the pair instantly recognised as Rick. They both whipped their heads around. "Seems like this way?" Daryl questioned, looking to Andy for her opinion.

"I agree. Let's go. That herd could have heard that shot and turned back!" Andy called. Together they sprinted through the trees, stopping only once to take out a walker in the distance. An arrow and a bolt had impaled the walker's head an inch from one another simultaneously; Andy would have smiled if it weren't for the reason they were running. Eventually, they heard Rick's sobs, Shane's shouts and the pleas of a stranger. Andy and Daryl ran into the clearing with caution.

"Whats goin' on?!" Daryl called, ignoring the stranger, "We heard a shot!" with that, the stranger began to cry, and the pair noticed Rick on the floor, bent over a lifeless body, Carl.

"What happened?!" Andy yelled at the stranger, surging at him with hatred. The stranger cringed away, clearly afraid, and his reply came out strangled and broken.

"I- I- I was huntin', shot that there deer an' tha boy- tha' boy was behind when I shot. I didn' know, I didn' see 'im! I was jus' tryna' bring food back to ma' family at tha' farm!" he stammered, tears rolling down his face.

"Farm?!" Shane demanded, "You said you have a farm? Is it safe!?" he had grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, shaking him.

"Y- Ye- Yeah we do, bring tha' boy, I can show ya' where it is, Hershel is a doctor, he can help ya' boy!" Shane dropped the man and he crumpled on the floor.

"GET UP!" Shane yelled, "Now! Tell us where ta' go!" The man scrambled up on to his feet and turned to Rick, who was now carefully scooping his limp son in to his arms.

"Backtrack to Fairburn road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox- Name's Greene." The man started to run through the trees and Rick followed. Before Shane took off after them, he turned to Andy. "Go back to the highway, tell the others to turn around and get to Fairburn Road. We'll meet at tha' farm!" Shane took off after the stranger and Rick.

Andy turned to Daryl, "Let's go." He nodded once at her and together they ran back toward the highway.

Andy and Daryl made it back to the others at the RV in a third of the time it had taken them to get out there. They were both panting when they got back, hastily explaining to Dale and Merle what had gone down. In the middle of their retelling, Glenn had come pelting out of the woods on his own.

"Where's Lori?" Andrea demanded.

"Some chick on a horse picked her up! Said she was sent by Rick! We have to go to this far-"

"Farm, yeah we know." Andy replied, relieved Rick and Shane had made it there. "Okay that's all of us, we need to get going. Glenn, do you mind taking Rick's car? If we can bring all the vehicles in one that would be good!" Glenn nodded, making off for Rick's car. Merle climbed down from his the roof of the RV and got in to his own. Dale let them know T-Dog was stable and awake, so Andrea took off to drive Shane's car. Andy looked at Daryl expecting him to either get in the car with his brother, or ask to ride her bike alone. She decided she didn't need to be packed in to a car right now, so she walked to her bike and climbed aboard taking her helmet from the handlebars.

Daryl watched her walk to her bike and kicked the dust beneath his shoe. He missed his bike. He just wanted to ride. Andy turned to look at Daryl, and Daryl made to move towards Merle's car. "Hey!" Andy called to him. He turned on his heel to see that she had slid to the back of the motorbike seat and was patting the front with her hand. An invitation to sit. His hands started to sweat. He began to shake his head, but she only patted the leather harder, her eyebrows pulling together.

"Shit." Daryl muttered, wiping his hands on his jeans. He walked to Andy and the Iron, pulling his crossbow from his back wordlessly and mounting it on the back of the bike above Andy's bow. "Ya' sure?" he asked her as she chewed on her lip smiling up at him. She patted the seat once more and Daryl climbed on in front of her, feeling excited and awkward all at once. Andy held a helmet out to him over his shoulder and he batted it away "Fuck tha'." He grumbled making her laugh. With his back to her, he allowed himself to smile fully at the sound of her laughter. He regretted the smile as soon as he made it when his brother drove past, window down, elbow hanging out.

"Yeeee-haw brotha', take her for a ride!" he laughed when Andy beat him to it by raising her middle finger at Merle, "Don' bother me, British, I like 'em feisty!" he laughed again driving off to lead the convoy. Daryl, grumbling embarrassed, kicked the bike to life and jolted when Andy's arms snaked around his waist. His heart hammered for different reasons as she clutched the material of his shirt and leant her head against his back. He revved the bike, the wheel screeching on the concrete as he sped off and overtook his brother.

 _Making up for lost time here, two chapters in one night… woohoo!_

 _Enjoy, and please review!_

 _xoxo_


	20. Chapter 19- I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU, DARYL

CHAPTER 19 – I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU, DARYL

The journey didn't take them long. They backtracked the way they'd originally come, keeping their eyes peeled for the herd that had started this chaos. Shortly, they had come across the turn off the man had told them about. They'd slowed down, looking for the mailbox marked 'Greene'.

In the time it had taken for the group to get back to the highway, and then to the Greene property, the sky had begun to darken. The cool night air nipped on Daryl's arms as he drove Andy's motorcycle down the driveway and in to a large farm. Andy flipped the visor of her helmet and looked around, marvelling at the stretches of lush green land. There was a barn in the distance, a stable with horses, a chicken coop and not a walker in sight. It seemed like a haven that had yet to be touched by the dead. A smile spread across Andy's lips, and for a moment, she forgot about the harsh reality of the world.

But only for a moment.

Daryl stopped the bike in front of a large farmhouse, and the smile was stripped from Andy's face as soon as she saw him. Rick was sat at the bottom of the veranda stairs, his knees bobbing with anxiety. He was filthy, stained in scarlet. Andy felt a wave of guilt in her stomach for allowing herself to smile. How had she managed to forget why they were here? Their youngest member was lost in the woods, and now Carl was fighting for his life. Andy squeezed her eyes closed and sent a wish that Carl _was_ still fighting for his life. She felt sick.

The rest of the group had pulled up behind herself and Daryl, and each rushed from their cars to surround Rick. Glenn was the first to speak.

"Is he...?" he trailed off, not knowing how to finish his sentence. Their heads snapped up when Shane spoke from the farmhouse door.

"He's alive." He said, descending the stairs to place a friendly hand on Rick's shoulder. "But he's struggling. Doc says the bullet is fragmented in his side." He explained what had happened in the woods. "So the deer slowed the bullet down, not enough to stop it from penetrating Carl, but enough for it to not go through smoothly. There's no exit wound, so the Doc will have to remove the pieces."

Rick's shoulders had started to shake, silent tears rolled down his face. Andy studied the man, her own eyes welling at his emotion. Shane's hand lingered on Rick's shoulder, Andy saw the man squeeze slightly, trying his best to put some reassurance in to his best friend. Everyone was quiet then, no one knowing what to say. It was then, a voice rang out to clear the tension.

"He's stable." Rick shot up and flew up the stairs, pausing in front of the speaker, thanking him profoundly, his sobs now vocal. The old man shook Rick's hand, telling him he would do everything he could to get the boy back to good health. The man, Andy analysed, looked to be in his late fifties, or maybe early sixties. His hair was snow white, and he had a face that seemed humble and proud. He made his way down the steps and addressed the group.

"Hello. My name is Hershel, and this is my farm." He began gesturing his arms outward toward the land. "I'm sure you all know already what has happened to the boy. I want to make this clear right away that my step son, Otis, is extremely sorry for what happened. I want you all to know this was a terrible accident, and he is already dealing with it difficultly without anyone else giving him hassle. Rick knows this was a mistake, and you should know that too." He paused to watch the group nod their heads in agreement to his underlined rule. "I have discussed this with my wife, Patricia, her oldest son, Jimmy and my daughter's Beth and Maggie, and we have come to the agreement as a family that we would be happy to accommodate you whilst I do what I can to get the boy back on his feet." The group started whispering to each other in excitement, smiling to one another at the prospect of being somewhere safe. Andy glanced over to Daryl, watching him as he narrowed his eyes. The look on his face reminding her there was no such thing as 'safe'. Hershel spoke again, louder to regain the attention of the group in front of him. "But I have some rules." The group sunk back in to silence, waiting with baited breath for the man to lay down his laws. "This is my land, and if you wish to remain here whilst Carl is healing, you will follow them. You can use the land outside the house to make a camp. You must understand, that until I get to know you all personally, I cannot allow you to sleep under the same roof as my family." The group considered this, and nodded their heads in agreement, Andy included. In his position, she would feel the same way. "You will need to help out. We have an allotment, chickens and a milking cow, plenty enough to keep you all fed. We also have a well near the back of the stables with plenty of water for everyone, but I ask that whatever you take, you make up for by helping out around the farm. Lord knows I could use the help." The group exchanged agreeing smiles, nodding once more to the old man. "Lastly." He said, pressing his lips together in a firm line, looking around at the group, "I would ask you to please give up your weapons. I cannot have a group of strangers wandering around my land with guns." The group's reactions were mixed.

"Give up our guns?! Are you mad?" Andrea had questioned.

"This is your land, I understand why you would make this decision." Dale said, placing his rifle on the ground.

"You've got to be kidding me." Shane had scoffed.

"But what about the walkers?" Glenn called.

"These are my terms." Hershel spoke quietly as the group continued to argue amongst themselves. "I will give you time to talk it over as a group, whilst I check on Carl. If you decide you do not want to part with your guns, please understand I cannot allow you to stay. He turned back to the house and walked in, closely followed by Rick, who seemed to be negotiating with him as they walked.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

The group discussed the matter for over thirty minutes, eventually dividing the group in to two sides. Eventually, Dale was the voice of reason. "I say we follow Hershel's rules. He is giving us his hospitality, and in return, we should be showing him respect. Maybe we can negotiate a term with Hershel to keep the rifle for the person on watch. And that we would like access to our weapons if the farm comes under danger, or if we were to go out on runs."

"That sounds like a good idea to me." Andy said, tired of the bickering. "We can't give up the opportunity to be in a place like this! Guys, livestock, land, water, _hot_ water! It's just the guns. We can keep our knives, and we know how to look after ourselves. And more importantly, Carl. Carl is inside that house fighting to stay alive. Hershel is our only hope to get that kid back on his feet. We shouldn't be even having this discussion." Andy tensed as a pair of arms were flung around her waist from behind. She jumped, turning to see Lori, smiling gratefully through the tears that were streaming down her face. Andy smiled back and returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Andromeda." Lori sniffed. Andy smiled placing a hand on the woman's face.

"Carl is going to be okay, Lori." She'd said.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Hershel had agreed with the renegotiated terms. He had actually expressed his approval of someone taking up watch over the land day and night, he had stated he and his family would feel much safer. Daryl had volunteered to take the first nights watch whilst the rest of the group piled in to the vehicles for a cramped night's sleep. First thing in the morning, Dale took over Daryl and the group got to work on setting up a camp.

Andy, unloading her tent from the compartment of her bike seat looked up and smiled to herself when she saw that Daryl and Merle had started laying out their tents further away from the others. Andy walked over to them, tent in hand. "So, am I still welcome at Camp Dixon?" she asked the brothers, smiling at the pair. Daryl grunted, as Merle beamed up at her.

"Course ya' are, sweetheart! 'Ol Merle's always go' room fa' one more!" Andy shook her head, laughing as she laid her tent down near Daryl's. Like it used to be.

Daryl glanced up towards Andy whilst she joked with Merle. His heart pumped as she unrolled the bottom sheet of her tent parallel to his. Daryl was reminded of the first time he had caught her pitching up next to him, and without thinking, he silently moved over to help Andy erect her tent. Merle watched the pair work in silence, his eyebrows raised, a smirk on his lips. He turned and continued to set his tent.

"I hope we can stay here for longer this time." Andy said, breaking the silence.

"Don' get ya' hopes up. No where's safe now. Keep ya' bag packed. Jus' in case." Daryl replied, pushing down the last peg of Andy's tent with his boot.

"Way ahead of you, I've been living out of my bag since I left the shop." She smiled up at the man and received an impressed nod. "Smoke?" she asked, pulling her cigarettes from her jeans pocket.

"JESUS FUCKIN' CHRIST, YES PLEASE!" Merle yelled, he was practically jumping in front of Andy like an over-excited child whose Mother was offering dessert before dinner. Andy laughed, pulling out two and handing them to Merle. He pulled Andy into a bear hug, squeezing her around the middle and lifting her from the ground. A girlish giggle bubbled past her lips. She noticed Daryl's uneasy glare after Merle put her down, placing one cigarette behind his ear and one between his lips. He hopped back to his tent and disappeared inside, no doubt looking for a light. Andy held the packet out to Daryl, offering.

"Ya' know I got some." He stated bluntly, not accepting her offer. Andy rolled her eyes playfully, taking a cigarette from its packet and placing it behind Daryl's ear. She felt his body stiffen as her hand pushed back his hair, and she smiled fondly up at him. Daryl began to look down at his boots, his go to way of getting out of an uncomfortable situation, but Andy stopped him, placing a gentle, uncertain hand on the side of his face. His jaw was set like stone, every muscle in his body tensed as she raised his head back up to look in to his ice blue eyes.

"I've already told you, Daryl, I don't mind sharing with you."

"Ya' share with Merle too." He grunted back, his annoyed tone of voice not matching his nervous expression. Andy's mouth spread in to a wide smile as she breathed a small laugh.

"I would share a cigarette with Merle, I would share a cigarette with anyone. But there's a lot more I would share with you, Daryl." She muttered, cautiously brushing the pad of her thumb across the man's jaw.

Daryl jumped five foot back when the sound of Merle emerging from his tent, waving a lighter above his head shouting, "Come ta' Merly!" Andy's cheeks flushed red. Daryl's matched. The pair looked awkwardly at the floor as Merle stood, lighting his cigarette with a pleasurable moan. "Ma' GOD!" He beamed, blowing a cloud of smoke above his head. "How long 'av ya' been hidin' these away from me lil' brotha'?!" he said, giving them something else to focus on. Andy blinked, turning to Merle.

"Daryl found them on the road, back at the highway." She lied, she caught Daryl in the side of her vision, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "I spotted him find them, so I had to steal a few." She added with a laugh, "But he said to keep it secret until we got here so we wouldn't have to give any up to the others." She smiled mischievously, winking at Daryl over Merle's shoulder when he closed his eyes taking another long pull on the cigarette. Merle turned to clap his brother on the shoulder.

"Nice thinkin' brotha'!" he laughed, making his way back to his tent. "Lemme know when dinna'sup." He called, disappearing within his tent and zipping the door closed. Andy glanced back at the ground, not knowing what to say in the silence that rested between herself and Daryl. Shocking her, Daryl spoke first.

"Wanna' skin the squirrel?" he asked, not looking up.

"Are you sure you trust me to do a good job?" Andy replied, laughing.

"Ya' watched me do the deer, ain't nowhere near as hard as tha'." He countered, daring to look up. He was met with an opposite scenario, him looking up and her looking down. Her cheeks had flushed a gentle shade of pink. "Wha's up?" Daryl asked, taking one hesitant step towards her.

"I didn't watch." She said to the floor, her smile embarrassed.

Daryl was confused. "Wha' d'ya mean ya' didn' watch? Ya' sat there the whole time."

"I watched you." She muttered quietly, Daryl squinted towards her, unsure of what she had said. Andy raised her head timidly, looking back at Daryl. "I was watching you." She said again, louder. There was no doubt this time what she had said, yet it still rendered Daryl puzzled.

"Why?" he breathed, her eyes burning in to his.

"I don't know." She said back. Andy studied Daryl, waiting for him to leave, or shout, or say something mean to make her back off. He surprised her again. Slowly, Daryl moved forward, each step unsure. Andy held her breath, not allowing herself to move, not wanting to change his mind about whatever decision he had made. What seemed like forever passed when Daryl was finally in front of her. Their eyes were still locked together, a perplexed electricity passing through the space between them. Daryl raised his hand, gingerly placing it on the back of Andy's head, her hair tangling between his calloused fingers. Slowly, he pulled her head a fraction forward. Andy's breath hitched and caught in her throat when he used the other hand to brush her bangs away from her face. Daryl moved forward, his heart hammering through his ribs as he pressed his lips against Andy's forehead. He lingered there for a moment, his mind racing through his confused thoughts. He pulled away, the sound of his kiss loud in his ears. His eyes were closed as he removed his hand from Andy's hair. He took one breath before turning and vanishing in to his tent.

Andy stood rooted to the spot, unsure what to make of the moment. He had shown her affection, but then he had walked. She couldn't help the grin that overtook her face, she bit down on her lip, debating internally whether she should follow him. She turned, and smiled wider when she noticed Daryl sat on the floor a small way from the tents. He had retrieved the squirrels and his filleting knife and was looking up at her hopefully, his cheeks flushed.

Andy's heart fluttered in her chest when he tapped the ground beside him with the side of his knife. He gestured for her to join him again with a nod, and Andy made her way over to him, butterflies in her stomach and a smile still in place.

 _Hope you enjoyed this one guys!_

 _I will get the next chapter up to you as soon as I can (next Wednesday at the latest)._

 _I want to say a special thank you to Jamielynn25_ _who has been consistently reviewing the story. 3_

 _As always, thank you so much to anyone who has favourited, reviewed and followed my story._

 _If you are enjoying it, please let me know in a review, or if you have any ideas or constructive criticism for me, please let me know!_

 _Cheers guys xx_


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